Black Is Beautiful: A Revealing Tale of Revolutionary Artist Kwame Brathwaite

We have witnessed many engaging features about image makers: Vivian Maier. Maybe the documentary format particularly shines when showcasing exceptionally powerful visual compositions. Today arrives one more exceptional example, by creator Yemi Bamiro, documenting the remarkable life's work of Kwame Brathwaite—a creative force, performer and social justice champion who exemplified a special cultural-activist perspective.

In partnership with his sibling Elombe, he virtually invented the phrase “Black Is Beautiful” during the mid-century era by photographing the Grandassa Models in the cultural epicenter: emerging African American women who became the sensational archetype for visual appeal, rejecting conventional grooming practices and the predominant Eurocentric ideal of female beauty.

The Impact of Three Words

This powerful statement became a radical unifying message, an inspired three-word declaration for transformation. Just declaring that people of color radiated beauty emerged as a liberating power in society, activism and the arts. Brathwaite became part of the Black power global Black movement by capturing images of the legendary boxer before his legendary Zaire bout in the seventies.

He was appointed the primary image creator for the Jackson 5's African tour, and later was named the house photographer for the legendary Apollo theatre, assembling an extraordinary portfolio of black musicians. Alongside his sibling, he was the key organizer behind securing Nelson Mandela to appear in New York.

Historical Recognition

The photographer's offspring Kwame Jr recounts the family's mission to ensure proper recognition for his father's legacy after he was unjustly overlooked in Washington DC's National Museum of African American History and Culture, established by the former president in this century.

This documentary also recounts the deeply tragic genesis of the artist's passion for visual storytelling: the disturbing images of the lynching martyr, the adolescent Black murder victim whose bereaved parent boldly insisted on an open coffin so the violent nature of racial hatred could not be concealed.

Amidst Sorrow to Beauty

In this vision of horror, the visionary found a type of transformative realization that guided him toward images of community. His images powerfully conveyed celebratory strength and frequently nuanced in approach: he developed a new visual language of strength upon which social causes could gather.

The documentary stands as an captivating chronicle of creative genius that still resonate across generations.