#1960Now: Photographs of Civil Rights Activists and Black Lives Matter Protests

(Hardback)

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Description

Artist and activist Sheila Pree Bright honours the Civil Rights activists from America's past and celebrates the people who carry on their important work today in this fine art photography book. Collected in a handsome volume, the book contains striking black-and-white photographs from Bright's project #1960Now: full-face portraits of Civil Rights leaders of the 1960s and today, documentary shots from Black Lives Matter Protests, and short essays from prominent artists, activists, and scholars. #1960NOW functions as a reminder that every #1960Now generation has heroes who are willing to fight for equality and social change.

Reviews

"#1960Now is a visually arresting coffee-table tome filled with activism photography shot across the U.S., from Ferguson, Missouri, to Atlanta to Philadelphia. Although the pics are current, they movingly evoke the spirit of the sixties." --Essence
"In this powerful photo collection, Atlanta photographer-activist Sheila Pree Bright documents the Black Lives Matter movement, drawing parallels with the civil rights movement of 1960s. She argues that today's marches and rallies are a continuation in the fight for equality, and she hopes readers of her book will 'seek the common thread that connects the human condition, to examine what people define for themselves.' ... The most striking feature of the book is the range of photos, which showcase the diversity of the groups and individuals who are part of the movement, including children, the elderly, those of different creeds and faiths, LGBT activists, and university students." --Publishers Weekly
"Sheila Pree Bright's photographs offer an intimate and humanistic view of black protest: a demonstrator staring mournfully into the camera, a tear running down his cheek; a somber activist, his mouth covered by tape inscribed with the name of Freddie Gray, the 25-year old African-American man killed while being transported by police in Baltimore; a marcher in rapt attention, his eyes closed, his hands clapping as if almost in prayer; and a moving juxtaposition of portraits--the artist Bree Newsome, who took down the Confederate Flag at the South Carolina Capitol in 2015, and Roslyn Pope, a member of the 1960s Atlanta Student Movement.... By embracing the lush black-and-white aesthetic of legendary civil rights photographs, Ms. Bright underscores historical continuity. While millions of cellphone photos are generated each day--some forceful testaments to racial violence and injustice--few possess the grace and quiet lyricism of her images." --The New York Times Lens blog

Author Bio

Sheila Pree Bright is an Atlanta-based, award-winning photographer whose work has been featured at prestigious museums and galleries throughout the United States. Her work is in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia, and many other institutions. She also engages a wide audience online and via social media. Her Instagram account currently has 60k followers.