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.”