This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement

As relevant today as they were half a century ago, more than 150 black-and-white images present the Southern Freedom Movement through the work of eight men and one woman who documented the national struggle against Jim Crow. Unlike images produced by photojournalists, who covered breaking news, these photographers lived in the movement and documented its activities by focusing on the student activists and local people who together made it happen. In addition, photographers’ eye witness accounts—their descriptions of how and why photos were taken—are incorporated into audio guides for adults and children. These guides use the voices of the photographers to help us experience a quest for social justice that transformed American life.

Space requirement: 4,000 square feet

Rental fee: $65,000

Organizing institution: Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage and the Center for Documentary Expression and Art

Contact: Aaron Bane, wbane@mmjh.org