description Kwame Brathwaite Overview
Kwame Brathwaite was an American photographer and photojournalist recognized for his documentation of the Black community in Harlem and his significant role in the "Black Is Beautiful" movement. Throughout the 1960s, he captured iconic images of cultural figures such as Miles Davis, Muhammad Ali, and Sam Cooke. Together with the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), he produced the "Naturally" beauty pageants starting in 1962, which celebrated natural African hair and features. His work was aimed at promoting Black empowerment and redefining cultural standards of beauty.
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What was the Naturally pageant that Kwame Brathwaite photographed?
Naturally '62 was a fashion and cultural event organized in Harlem by the African Jazz-Art Society and Studios, a group Brathwaite helped establish. Its models, known as the Grandassa Models, celebrated natural hair, African-inspired clothing, and Black beauty.
How did Kwame Brathwaite contribute to the Black Is Beautiful movement?
Brathwaite used photography, fashion events, and community organizing to challenge Eurocentric beauty standards. His images of the Grandassa Models made the phrase "Black Is Beautiful" visible through specific people, hairstyles, clothes, and Harlem venues.
Which musicians did Kwame Brathwaite photograph?
His archive includes major jazz figures such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Max Roach. He photographed musicians both in performance and within the wider political and cultural life of Black New York.
Where can I see Kwame Brathwaite's photographs in a major exhibition or book?
The touring exhibition "Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite" brought his work to institutions including the Skirball Cultural Center. Aperture published an accompanying book devoted to his photography and the movement around it.
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