The beginning of the year always means one thing to me: Prepare for the onslaught of Black History Month and the Martin Luther King holiday. I don't mean to make it sound like an onerous duty, but comparisons between these two events and the commercialization of Christmas are valid. Nonetheless, it's necessary to think about how far we've come and remember some of our leaders who were felled while clearcutting the path to civil rights. I recently had that opportunity while shooting a weekly news show.
Brian Bowman, Public Affairs Officer for Wilson, NC interviewed Burk Uzzle, local resident and youngest Life magazine photographer ever hired. Besides having an eye for absolutely stunning compositions, Uzzle was present after Dr. Martin Luther King's assasination and at his funeral. One of the photographs he took of Dr. King lying in repose graced the cover of Newsweek. Now, he has decided to show 20 previously unpublished photographs surrounding that moment in history at the Arts Council of Wilson in Wilson, NC.
An excerpt of Bowman's interview with Mr. Uzzle is airing in this week's city-produced news show, Around Town. A longer version of the interview is also available on Wilson's Vimeo channel. If you happen to be in Wilson this month, the Arts Council is exhibiting the photos free of charge until
February 6.
Around Town, Week of January 13, 2010 from City of Wilson, NC on Vimeo.
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Comments
I'm so glad you alerted me to this, and I wish I could get to NC and see the exhibit. You also make a good point about the MLK Holiday. It is hard to keep hold of the real spirit of someone once they have been appropriated as the impetus for a public holiday. There are usually some events that honor his spirit--such as the food drive in the news story here, but we would benefit so much from using the day to teach ALL of the things that Dr. King represented.
Mishima, I wish you could make it here too. I'm not often moved so deeply by photography or art. But shaking Mr. Uzzle's hand..., the link to a moment in history that has so profoundly influenced my ability to prosper in this country was made tangible.