Throughout most of the history of photojournalism, the images of
African Americans featured in White-owned media were captured by people
who were not Black. Black Issues spoke to some of today’s most
prominent African American photojournalists to get their views on the
education and experience students of color need to excel in this highly
competitive field.
Veteran photojournalist Milbert Orlando Brown knew he had something
special when he was assigned to photograph seventeen-year-old trumpet
player Timothy Wilborn.
Wilborn is a resident of Robert Taylor Homes, one of Chicago’s most
notorious public housing projects. He was the subject of a June 24,
1997, Chicago Tribune feature story because he had inspired wealthy
Chicago philanthropist Gertude Nielsen to finance his college education.
Near the end of the photo session, Brown, who has a knack for
finding dignity in the bleakest of environments, asked the
all-city-band trumpeter to play his instrument. Unexpectedly, a little
boy, a neighbor listening to the music, wandered into view. In an
instant, Brown saw that the youngster’s presence added a depth of
humanity that would transform an above-average portrait into something
extraordinary.
“The little boy came out of nowhere. [His presence] made it a special moment that had a certain dramatic impact,” Brown says.
The resulting picture, titled “The Promise,” was later nominated by
the Chicago Tribune in the prestigious Pulitzer Prize feature photo
competition. Last week, the image won the National Association of Black
Journalists’ top prize for a single-image news photo.
Brown is part of a small cadre of Black photojournalists at major
American newspapers who are hitting the heights of their profession.
Their prominence is deemed critical to the efforts of journalism
educators and photographers who are trying to attract and groom the
next generation of African American photojournalists.
