Black in White America 1963-1965

Black in White America 1963-1965

Leonard Freed’s book, Black in White America, was originally published in 1969, and has been rightly hailed as a landmark in reporting on black life in the United States between 1963 and 1965. Subsequent editions of this book were essentially reproductions, so rethinking Freed’s work for a new edition was both a daunting and exciting proposition. Tony Nourmand (the publisher of Reel Art Press), Leonard Freed’s widow Brigitte (who was also his collaborator and printmaker), Freed’s daughter Susannah, and I decided to make the new book in a large hardcover format, with better reproductions and edited text to make it more photo-centric. We have also added several unpublished photos, scanned from the original prints that Brigitte had made. The result, in this new edition, now titled Black in White America 1963-1965, presents his work with strength and more clarity than before.

The hopes, struggles, challenges, degradations, joys, and sorrows that black people in the United States have historically faced are on full display in Freed’s work. What is striking is that little has changed in almost sixty years. Voter suppression, unequal opportunity, police violence (including murder), and unrelenting racism are still an integral part of Black life, despite progress. Leonard Freed approached his work as a concerned photographer, not as an anthropologist, always finding the emotion in every situation. The description of the daily life of black families shows that we share a common humanity. The simple photograph of a father holding a tricycle, crossing the street with his children, is profound in its banality. Hopeful images like the March on Washington, a photo of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at a synagogue, and another showing him smiling as he is greeted by a worshipping crowd in Maryland, contrast with scenes of brutal incarceration in Angola Prison in Louisiana. Black fashion shows in Brooklyn and Harlem contrasted with CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) protests, where peaceful black protesters were arrested by the NYPD. In one photo, a woman at a seated CORE protest holds a sign that reads “End White Supremacy,” a statement, sentiment, and scene that could not be more relevant today.