Black in White America

This is a powerful and evocative photographic essay on African American life during the Civil Rights movement. «Black in White America» by Leonard Freed (1929-2006) is a facsimile edition of a powerful photo essay, first published 1968, that looks at African-American life during the Civil Rights Era. The son of Eastern-European Jews, Freed became interested in examining the cultural fabric of African-American life after witnessing black soldiers protecting freedom abroad while their brothers and sisters were fighting for civil rights at home. He went on to become a pioneer in socially conscious photojournalism. Freed’s essay presents a composite of the daily lives of black people in the north and south, on the city streets, in housing projects, and in rural communities, living joyously, peacefully, and defiantly during one of the greatest social struggles of our times. Accompanied by personal interviews, journal entries, protest songs, and an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, «Black in White America» conveys the strength of human dignity in the midst the struggle for racial equality.