Whitfield Lovell (American, born 1959)

conte crayon drawing on paper, shooting gallery target

30 x 22 1/4 x 2 in. (76.2 x 56.52 x 5.08 cm)

Museum Purchase, Greenacres Acquisition Fund and Collectors Collaborative, 2019.44. © Whitfield Lovell. Courtesy of DC Moore Gallery, New York

The lives of many Black women will never be known because their histories have been disregarded both by scholars and mainstream American society. How, then, might one recover these hidden histories? Whitfield Lovell combines conté crayon drawings and found objects to revitalize lost histories in his Kin series. In Kin XLVI, Lovell pairs an object used for target practice with a drawing of a Black woman in profile. This juxtaposition suggests a narrative about the anonymous sitter, drawing inspiration from images Lovell collected from the period between the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Movement. As Lovell puts it, he aims to “illuminate the humanity and richness of these ordinary people.” In the composition presented here, the woman’s profile is paired with a shooting gallery target, prompting one to consider the history of violence on the Black body and issues of domestic violence toward women.

Accra Shepp (American, born 1962)

gelatin silver print

20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm)

Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund, 2015.18.5. © Accra Shepp

Continuing in the tradition of activists before them, the individuals featured in these photographs protested against inequality, not inherently racial, but social and economic. Both Shadow and Colette participated in the 2011 demonstration of Occupy Wall Street. Their presence at the protest reveals the intersectionality of experiences faced by Black women in American society. Not only do they seek justice due to their race and sexuality, but they also face socio-economic challenges. In this project, photographer Accra Shepp sought to capture the diversity of the participants and their dedicated energy by considering each protester as an individual. His work undermined prevailing narratives that characterized the Occupy Wall Street as overwhelmingly white.

Accra Shepp (American, born 1962)

gelatin silver print

20 x 16 in. (50.8 x 40.64 cm)

Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund, 2015.18.2. © Accra Shepp

“One of the 99% – I want a fair chance to work, learn, and grow in the U.S. I helped to build.” The writing on Shadow’s dress references the layers of inequality that Black women, and Black people generally, continue to face in the United States in the twenty-first century. Continuing in the tradition of activists before them, the individuals featured in these photographs protested against inequality, not inherently racial, but social and economic. Both Shadow and Colette participated in the 2011 demonstration of Occupy Wall Street. Their presence at the protest reveals the intersectionality of experiences faced by Black women in American society. Not only do they seek justice due to their race and sexuality, but they also face socio-economic challenges. In this project, photographer Accra Shepp sought to capture the diversity of the participants and their dedicated energy by considering each protester as an individual. His work undermined prevailing narratives that characterized the Occupy Wall Street as overwhelmingly white.

Danny Lyon (American, born 1942)

gelatin silver print

11 x 14 in. (27.94 x 35.56 cm)

Gift of Drs. Steven and Linda Lee, 2018.28.17. © Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos

Black women have long been on the front lines of activism. Documentary photographer Danny Lyon sought to capture their efforts during his time as staff photographer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) beginning in 1962. Traveling through Georgia in 1963, he took a series of photographs picturing 32 young girls, ages 12 to 15, arrested for demonstrating in Americus, Georgia. Recalling the events of her nine-day imprisonment, one young girl, Henrietta Fuller, described the harsh conditions of the living conditions in a written statement: “There were no beds, no mattresses, no blankets, pillows, no sheets. The floor was cold…The water was hot and it was running all the while. The man gave us three cups for the 32 of us.”

Danny Lyon (American, born 1942)

gelatin silver print

14 x 11 in. (35.56 x 27.94 cm)

Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Nicholas, 2015.50.21. © Danny Lyon/Magnum Photos

Danny Lyon photographed Fannie Lou Hamer demonstrating in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, during a protest organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).  Hamer became a symbol for the lengths one would go to secure civil rights for their community. A forced sterilization while undergoing surgery to remove a uterine tumor set her on the path to work toward equal rights. Returning from a voter registration workshop, Hamer and three other SNCC women were savagely beaten in Winona, Mississippi, on June 9, 1963. This beating was carried out by two African American male prisoners at the order of the white jailers. Hamer never fully recovered from the attack, losing vision in one eye and sustaining permanent kidney and leg damage. Nevertheless, she continued to fight on the front lines.