Black Is Beautiful: A Inspiring Journey of Trailblazing Artist Kwame Brathwaite

There have been countless fascinating documentaries highlighting photographers: Vivian Maier. It could be the documentary format particularly shines when displaying remarkably striking photographs. Here we have one more outstanding instance, by writer-director Yemi Bamiro, documenting the impressive professional journey of Kwame Brathwaite—an artist, musician and social justice champion who embodied a distinct politico-aesthetic perspective.

In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” throughout the 1960s by capturing the African American women in the cultural epicenter: emerging African American women who emerged as the transformative archetype for aesthetics, rejecting typical cosmetic products and the predominant Caucasian model of femininity.

The Influence of a Simple Phrase

The iconic phrase became a transformative rallying cry, an brilliant three-word declaration for change. Merely to assert that people of color were beautiful proved to be a liberating power in society, politics and creative expression. The photographer emerged as a key figure in the civil rights African diaspora struggle by photographing the legendary boxer prior to his iconic Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.

He became the primary image creator for the Jackson 5's African tour, and later became the house photographer for the iconic cultural institution, building an extraordinary portfolio of musical pioneers. In collaboration with his brother, he emerged as the driving force behind arranging for Nelson Mandela to address the public in Harlem.

Historical Recognition

His son his namesake is interviewed the family's mission to secure due acknowledgment for his father's legacy after he was unjustly overlooked in the nation's capital's Smithsonian institution, opened by the political leader in recent years.

The film also recounts the deeply tragic origin of the photographer's passion for visual storytelling: the shocking photographs of the lynching martyr, the young civil rights tragic figure whose grieving mother defiantly demanded an open coffin so the horrific reality of bigoted brutality might not be covered up.

From Tragedy to Hope

Through this vision of violence, the visionary encountered a kind of transformative realization that directed him toward visual representations of beauty. His work were eloquent of empowering beauty and frequently subtle in messaging: he developed a fresh iconography of pride around which social causes could gather.

The documentary stands as an inspiring chronicle of creative genius that still empower through the years.