#Kwame Brathwaite

[thrdnarrative]

Portraits of Ndola Brathwaite, daughter of Kwame Brathwaite (1938-2023), sporting traditional “akaba” and “ajakolo” hairstyles in Harlem, NY

Courtesy of Kwame Brathwaite [@kwamebphoto]

#diaspora #Africa #African photography #Barbados #Kwame Brathwaite

[highkeyvibingz]

by Kwame Brathwaite

#black excellence #black people #photography #black artists #black is beautiful #black style #Kwame Brathwaite #style

[chainsawpunk]

Kwame Brathwaite, Untitled (Sikolo with Carolee Prince Designs), 1968

#Kwame Brathwaite #a

[oldnewyorklandia]

Kwame Brathwaite.  Untitled (Grandassas in Car), 1968. 

https://kwamebrathwaite.com/

#Kwame Brathwaite #photography #New York City #New York #newyorkers #60's

[intomore]

Kwame Brathwaite (1 January 1938 – 1 April 2023)

Throughout his six-decade career, Brathwaite harnessed the power of photography to recalibrate the public understanding of Blackness.  

Brathwaite, who was largely inspired by the teachings and writings of Marcus Garvey and Carlos Cooks, held a 60-year photography career that popularized the “Black is Beautiful” movement in the 1960s and continued to empower African and African-American cultural expression and achievements throughout his lifetime.

"Untitled (Kwame Brathwaite Self Portrait at AJASS Studios)" (c. 1964, printed 2016), archival pigment print (all images courtesy the Kwame Brathwaite Archive),

“Untitled (Garvey Day, Deedee in Car)” (c. 1965, printed 2018), archival pigment print,

ikolo Brathwaite wearing a helmet designed by Carolee Prince, Ajass, Harlem, circa 1968,

Kwame Samori Brathwaite playing with Baba's bag, Harlem, circa 1975,

James Brown plaque outside the Apollo Theater, Harlem, circa 1962,

Children on swings, Harlem, circa 1971,

Children playing with slingshots, Harlem, circa 1971.

#art #photography #black is beautiful #kwame brathwaite #rip twitter #blackness #human rights #humanity #activism #marcus garvey #carlos cooks #1960s #childrens #harlem #ajass #james brown #black lives matter #african american #american history

[garadinervi]

Kwame Brathwaite (photograph), The pianist Thelonious Monk performing at the Randalls Island Jazz Festival in 1959 [The «New York Times». © Kwame Brathwaite / Kwame Brathwaite Archive, Pasadena, CA / ARS, New York]

#art #photography #music #kwame brathwaite #thelonious monk #randalls island jazz festival #kwame brathwaite archive #the new york times #1950s

[undergroundrockpress]

Thelonious Monk performing at the Randalls Island Jazz Festival in 1959. 

Photo by Kwame Brathwaite.

#jazz #Kwame Brathwaite #Thelonious Monk #1959 #1950s #Randalls Island Jazz Festival

[ausetkmt]

Yemi Bamiro To Direct Kwame Brathwaite Doc ‘Black Is Beautiful’ For Wayfarer, Misfits Entertainment

EXCLUSIVE: Yemi Bamiro (Fight the Power) has been set to direct Black Is Beautiful: The Kwame Brathwaite Story, a documentary spotlighting the life and work of activist, cultural icon, and renowned photojournalist Kwame Brathwaite, which Wayfarer Studios (Ezra, It Ends With Us) is developing in partnership with Misfits Entertainment (McQueen, Rising Phoenix), The Creative Coalition, and The Kwame Brathwaite Archive.

A celebration of Black history, art, and culture, the film will chart Brathwaite’s rise to a position of huge influence against the backdrop of the second Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and the evolution of modern art. A trailblazer and founding father of the “Black is Beautiful” movement, Brathwaite is perhaps best known for co-creating Grandassa Models, a group of Black female models that promoted African-inspired fashion and beauty ideals, aiming to foster a shift away from from the more traditional Eurocentric standard by highlighting a more cosmopolitan look and feel. The movement was documented through Brathwaite’s photographs of gatherings which included music, poetry readings, plays, and art in its various forms. With Grandassa Models, he was able to create an authentic and unfiltered environment where people could be themselves and embrace their natural beauty, and to this day, the group meets weekly.

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Brathwaite’s work appeared in publications including Vogue, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Essence, Blues and Soul, New York Post, New York Magazine, and National Geographic. Over the course of his career spanning more than six decades, he snapped shots of everyone from Mohammed Ali and The Jackson 5 to Nelson Mandela and Grace Jones, while giving equal focus to ordinary individuals.

In utilizing his photographic medium to spotlight the convergence of fashion, activism, music, and art on a global scale, Brathwaite captured spectacular moments in history, both big and small. His quintessential contribution to the Black aesthetic continues to inspire the next generation of photographers, celebrities and artists across all mediums, messaging, and brands.

Helping the Black Is Beautiful filmmakers in their mission of celebrating the unique life and talents of Brathwaite is the massive archive of never-before-seen materials that they were able to access through the creative’s estate. Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz will exec produce the doc alongside Misfits Entertainment’s co-founder and co-owner, Andee Ryder. Producers on the pic include Wayfarer’s Justin Baldoni and Andrew Calof, Misfits Entertainment’s Ian Bonhôte and Lizzie Gillett, Robin Bronk for The Creative Coalition, and Kwame S Brathwaite on behalf of The Kwame Brathwaite Archive.

Brathwaite’s son, Kwame S. Brathwaite, shared that the process of archiving his father’s “writing, ephemera and iconic photography” has been taking place over the last few years. “We are truly excited,” he said, “about this opportunity to provide an in-depth look at the breadth and historical significance of his work.”

Bamiro stated that he came to the project as “a huge fan” of Brathwaite’s work. “To have the opportunity to shine a light on the life, work, activism and influence of such a legendary figure is a privilege,” he said.

Offered Wayfarer Studios’ President of Production and Development, Calof, “The world hasn’t heard enough about this incredibly crucial man who has influenced the Black aesthetic since the 1960’s. Images which showcased the persecution of Black people deeply impacted Kwame and as a photographer, he was compelled to change the focus and provide positive narrative to this time.”

Calof went on to emphasize that Brathwaite was “devoted to spotlighting the love, hope and beauty present within the underground movement of Black culture and he was driven to bring this into the mainstream. This greatness has resulted in tremendous impact on generations since.”

Bamiro most recently directed Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World, a PBS docuseries chronicling the birth and evolution of hip-hop, which features talents like Chuck D, Ice-T, and Run DMC. He also directed the doc One Man and His Shoes on the “social, cultural and racial significance” of Air Jordan sneakers, as well as Reggae Fever: David Rodigan, a feature doc spotlighting the career of the same-name British DJ. Other past projects include Viceland’s Hate Thy Neighbor and Prime Video’s Fever Pitch: The Rise of the Premier League. The filmmaker is repped by Jenny Parker at Mint & Co.

#Kwame Brathwaite #Yemi Bamiro To Direct Kwame Brathwaite Doc ‘Black Is Beautiful’ #Black Photographers #Black History Matters #Black Photog #Black Lives Matter

[lisamarie-vee]

#female portrait #b&w #kwame brathwaite #black is beautiful

[boricuacherry-blog]

In the 1950's, Lincoln was a cabaret singer whose cameo in a 1955 Jayne Mansfield film propelled her into the spotlight - in the film, Lincoln wore an iconic red dress originally worn by Marilyn Monroe in the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. By the late 50's, Hollywood's desire to mold Lincoln into a siren starlet was at odds with the singer's own desire to embrace her natural beauty. During a time when studios ascribed to Eurocentric aesthetics, Lincoln's choice to wear a short Afro ran counter to the straight-haired, fair-skinned, prototypical femme fatale. In Black is Beautiful, Brathwaite's photos of the singer capture Lincoln's pivot from acting to jazz and her embrace of her natural, coily hair. The singer eventually married Max Roach, and in a symbolic shedding of her former image, Lincoln burned the Marilyn Monroe dress in an incinierator.

#kwame brathwaite #article #photography #pan africanism #black is beautiful #history #american history #abbey lincoln #grandassa models #the grandassa models #jazz #elombe brath #marcus garvey #carolee prince

[dreams-in-blk]

"Everyone knows the phrase “Black is beautiful,” but very few have heard of the man who helped to popularize it. Brooklyn-born black photographer Kwame Brathwaite..." aperture magazine

#dreams in blk #black tumblr #black beauty #black girl magic #black fashion model #poc aesthetic #moodboard #black people #black women #blackness #black power #black pride #black excellence 365 #black history 365 #black women aesthetic #black girl aesthetic #black girl art #black girl moodboard #black girls #kwame brathwaite #black is beautiful

[hydeordie]

Kwame Brathwaite, Untitled (Garvey Day, Deedee in Car) , 1965

#Kwame Brathwaite #Art #Photography

[girlsdressingrooms]

Kwame Brathwaite  (1 January 1938 – 1 April 2023)  

Throughout his six-decade career, Brathwaite harnessed the power of photography to recalibrate the public understanding of Blackness.    

Brathwaite, who was largely inspired by the teachings and writings of Marcus Garvey and Carlos Cooks, held a 60-year photography career that popularized the “Black is Beautiful” movement in the 1960s and continued to empower African and African-American cultural expression and achievements throughout his lifetime.

Untitled (Woman with Pearls) 1970 c. printed 2021  Archival pigment print  60 x 60 inches (152.4 x 152.4 cm)

#art #photography #fashion photography #kwame brathwaite #rip #pearls #women's fashion #black is beautiful #blackness #black lives movement #black lives matter #marcus garvey #carlos cooks #1960s #human rights #humanity #equal rights

[sbrown82]

#kwame brathwaite #sikolo brathwaite #model #photography #art #black art #black is beautiful #black is beautiful movement #black hair #1960s #1968 #harlem #jazz #black power #black people #black history #black culture #black woman #black women #african american #african american women #afro #natural #4c #afrocentric beauty #retro #vintage #gif #sbrown82

[the1beardedgent]

Kwame Brathwaite, 85, Photographer With a Lens on Black Pride, Is Dead

#kwame brathwaite #photography #photographer #black photographers #titusville #spacecoast #florida #brevardcounty #centralflorida

[garadinervi]

Kwame Brathwaite (photograph), Nina Simone with her mother, Mary Kate Waymon, at the 1974 Human Kindness Day event in Washington, D.C. [The «New York Times». © Kwame Brathwaite / Kwame Brathwaite Archive, Pasadena, CA / ARS, New York]

#art #photography #music #kwame brathwaite #nina simone #mary kate waymon #kwame brathwaite archive #the new york times #1970s