How Kwame Brathwaite Visually Spread the Message “Black Is Beautiful”
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “Black is beautiful,” well, that may have something to do with Kwame Brathwaite. The Brooklyn-born photojournalist is, of course, hardly the first to string those words together. But he played a key role in transforming the message into a movement in the late 1950s, when he cofounded the artist collective the African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS) with his brother Elombe Brath, and throughout the 1960s, when he showcased Black beauty in his black-and-white photographs.
The former is a more typical example of activism: A sector of AJASS members known as the Grandassa Models successfully challenged conventional notions of beauty and helped normalize natural hair. But Brathwaite’s photojournalism—a medium to which he became devoted after seeing the horrific photos of Emmett Till Jet magazine published in 1955—was arguably just as impactful. In fact, the New York Historical Society has proclaimed his practice “an agent of social change.” It’s an apt description, as made clear by the institution’s exhibition showcasing 40 black-and-white portraits and scenes of Harlem as Brathwaite knew it. Ahead of its August 19 opening, take a look inside, here.
Like the rest of Brathwaite’s photos, this portrait was among only 12 that his camera allowed him to take at a time.
Kwame Brathwaite, Man smoking in a ballroom, Harlem, ca. 1962.
That same year, AJASS mounted an event that Brathwaite, Brath, and co. titled Naturally ’62: The Original African Coiffure and Fashion Extravaganza Designed to Restore Our Racial Pride and Standards. The community-focused celebration drove down AJASS’s mission and established it as a force.
Kwame Brathwaite, Grandassa Model on stage, Apollo Theater, Harlem, ca. 1968.
A major way in which AJASS spread its “Black Is Beautiful” message was through the Grandassa Models, who showcased their natural hair and embodied Black beauty in regular photo shoots and annual Harlem-based fashion shows.
Kwame Brathwaite, Photo shoot at a public school for one of the AJASS associated modeling groups that emulated the Grandassa Models and embraced natural hairstyles, Harlem, ca. 1966.
The goal was to issue a visual riposte not only to the omnipresent imagery of white models, but also to the lighter-skinned complexions favored by publications like Ebony.
Kwame Brathwaite, Grandassa Models at the Merton Simpson Gallery, New York, ca. 1967.
The model and designer Carolee Prince was behind many of the accessories worn by the Grandassa Models...
Kwame Brathwaite, Carolee Prince wearing her own jewelry designs, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, ca. 1964.
...Including the South African jewelry-inspired headpiece that Brathwaite’s wife, Sikolo, wore in this portrait from the late ’60s.
Kwame Brathwaite, Sikolo Brathwaite wearing a headpiece designed by Carolee Prince, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, ca.1968.
Another portrait of Sikolo, this time showcasing her natural hair.
Kwame Brathwaite, Sikolo Brathwaite, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, ca. 1968.
Brathwaite’s photography was hardly limited to beauty and fashion. He regularly captured scenes across Harlem such as the city’s annual celebration of the late legendary activist, Marcus Garvey.
Kwame Brathwaite, Marcus Garvey Day Parade, Harlem, ca. 1967.
