Synopses & Reviews
In 1955, shortly after Emmett Till was murdered by white supremacists in Mississippi, his grieving mother distributed to the press a gruesome photograph of his mutilated corpse. Asked why she would do this, she explained that by witnessing with their own eyes the brutality of segregation and racism, Americans would be more likely to support the cause of racial justice. and#8220;Let the world see what Iand#8217;ve seen,and#8221; was her reply.and#160;The publication of the photograph inspired a generation of activists to join the civil rights movement.
Despite this extraordinary episode, the story of visual cultureand#8217;s role in the modern civil rights movement is rarely included in its history. This is the first comprehensive examination of the ways images mattered in the struggle, and it investigates a broad range of media including photography, television, film, magazines, newspapers, and advertising.
These images were ever present and diverse: the startling footage of southern white aggression and black suffering that appeared night after night on television news programs; the photographs of black achievers and martyrs in Negro periodicals; the humble snapshot, no less powerful in its ability to edify and motivate. In each case, the war against racism was waged through picturesand#8212;millions of points of light, millions of potent weapons that forever changed a nation. Through vivid storytelling and incisive analysis, this powerful book allows us to see and understand the crucial role that visual culture played in forever changing a nation.
Review
and#8220;Even and#8216;unforgettableand#8217; images such as those contained in this project can be forgotten if they are not part of a public and highly visible record. With this tremendously important book, Maurice Berger has ensured that these powerful, affirming, and harrowing images will remain central to the story of this country's furious and joyful struggle for civil rights.and#8221;and#8212;Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Harvard University
Review
"Stunning both visually and interpretively, this marvelous book is by turns chilling and inspiring, poignant and gritty.andnbsp; The images it chooses and juxtaposes will introduce young people to worlds of struggle too little recalled and remind us all of the stakes involved in images of race and freedom."and#8212;David Roediger, author of How Race Survived U.S. History: From Settlement and Slavery to the Obama Phenomenon
Review
and#8220;In 1955, the photograph of Emmett Tilland#8217;s mutilated body was for many African-Americans the visual equivalent of a knock-out punch. . . . That single image played a powerful role in building the civil rights movement, we learn in Maurice Bergerand#8217;s
For All the World to See.and#8221;and#8212;Boston Globeandnbsp;
Review
and#8220;
For All the World to See. . .andnbsp;reminds us though text and images just how powerfully photography affected the course of a major social movement that changed the history and the fabric of American life, all for the better.and#8221;--Robert Leiter,
Jewish Exponent
Review
"[An] attractive and compellingly written new work."--Tracy E. K'Myer, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Review
Winner of the 2010 Outstanding Exhibition in a University Art Museum, given by the Association of Art Museum Curators Tracy E. K'Myer - The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Review
Selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title for 2010 in the Art & Architecture category Tracy E. K'Myer - The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society
Review
and#8220;Bruce Jordanand#8217;s photographic abilities are technically superb, but he is also emotionally linked to his subject. Beyond the mere record, Jordan exhibits an eloquent vision that carries to oneand#8217;s heart and soul!and#8221;and#8212;Lionel Delevingne, coauthor of
Drylands, a Rural American Sagaand#160;and#160;
Review
and#8220;A striking and provocative set of images of Mexican American funerary decorations. I find them powerful and engaging. . . . The written material nicely complements the photographs by suggesting different ways that readers might contextualize them. This is a distinctive and worthwhile book.and#8221;and#8212;Benjamin H. Johnson, author of Bordertown: The Odyssey of an American Place
Synopsis
A stunning visual history of the civil rights movement in America
In 1955, shortly after Emmett Till was murdered by white supremacists in Mississippi, his grieving mother distributed to the press a gruesome photograph of his mutilated corpse. Asked why she would do this, she explained that by witnessing with their own eyes the brutality of segregation and racism, Americans would be more likely to support the cause of racial justice. "Let the world see what I've seen," was her reply. The publication of the photograph inspired a generation of activists to join the civil rights movement.
Despite this extraordinary episode, the story of visual culture's role in the modern civil rights movement is rarely included in its history. This is the first comprehensive examination of the ways images mattered in the struggle, and it investigates a broad range of media including photography, television, film, magazines, newspapers, and advertising.
These images were ever present and diverse: the startling footage of southern white aggression and black suffering that appeared night after night on television news programs; the photographs of black achievers and martyrs in Negro periodicals; the humble snapshot, no less powerful in its ability to edify and motivate. In each case, the war against racism was waged through pictures--millions of points of light, millions of potent weapons that forever changed a nation. Through vivid storytelling and incisive analysis, this powerful book allows us to see and understand the crucial role that visual culture played in forever changing a nation.
Synopsis
From the back roads of New Mexico and out-of-the-way fields in southern Colorado to urban hinterlands in South Texas, photographer Bruce F. Jordan evokes the startling beauty and unique world of ethnic Mexican cemeteries in En Recuerdo de: The Dying Art of Mexican Cemeteries in the Southwest. These historic and often forgotten cities of the dead stand as testaments to the brilliance of Mexican artisans and craftsmen, the importance of kinship and community among ethnic Mexicans in the Southwest, and the perseverance of marginalized communities to honor and care for ancestors in death.
Jordanand#8217;s sympathetic storytelling evokes for readers the atmosphere of many of these cemeteries. His arresting photographs are accompanied by his lively captions describing the significance of Mexican funerary carving traditions and the relationship of ethnic Mexican memory to cemeteries, and by Bryce Milliganand#8217;s interview with the photographer. With essays by Martina Will de Chaparro and Tony Mares that place the cemeteries within the unique historical context of the American Southwest, En Recuerdo de (In Memory of)and#160;illuminates these myriad lost cities of the dead and the significance of death and dying in Mexican culture.
About the Author
Bruce F. Jordan is a documentary photographer and a frequent guest speaker at photography workshops. He is the author of Texas Trilogy: Life in a Small Texas Town and Early Texas Schools: A Photographic History. His photographs have been featured in numerous exhibits including at the New Braunfels Museum of Art and Music and the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, among others.
Martina Will de Chaparro is the author of Death and Dying in New Mexico.
Tony Mares is professor emeritus of English at the University of New Mexico. His most recent book is Astonishing Light: Conversations I Never Had with Patrociand#241;o Barela.
Bryce Milligan is the publisher of Wings Press, in San Antonio, Texas; the author of over a dozen award-winning collections of poetry, young adult fiction, and childrenand#8217;s books; and the editor of several anthologies.