Ernest C. Withers was an African-American photojournalist who documented over 60 years of African-American history in the South.
He's revered in the civil rights movement, as his photographs documented and shaped the visual narrative of the era.
Martin Luther King Jr. even commissioned him to record the movement.
You can see 41 of Wither’s original pictures at Flash Points at The Arts and Recreation Center in Opa-locka. The exhibition is being put on by the non-profit Ten North Group.
The organization works to provide equitable access to housing and wealth-building opportunities for under-resourced communities, which includes historical preservation and the arts.
Joel Diaz leads the newly launched Ten North Arts Foundation. He said the exhibition is an important survey of Wither's works, as they offer a wealth of historical insight that can help communities today.
"Look at the sort of socio-political climate that we're in today where I think there's an attempted erasure of black history," Diaz said. "These images are of people who were resisting the status quo.
"I do think this kind of allows for people to sort of be inspired and see the faces of people who were on the precipice of change. "
One photograph was taken during the Emmet Till murder trial in 1955. It shows Till's uncle, Moses Wright, pointing out the men he saw take his nephew from his house — the last time Moses would see Till alive.
The judge explicitly forbade photography during the trial, meaning there was plenty at risk for Withers if he was caught.
It's also most likely the first time an African American in the South publicly accused a white man of a crime. An accusation like this would typically lead to a lynching.
Oftentimes, Withers was the only photographer at these events because the mainstream press did not cover them.
Dr. Willie Logan, the CEO and president of the Ten North Group, said exhibits like Flash Points allow people to experience history.
Logan vividly remembers watching Walter Cronkite on CBS with his dad through the 60s. Whether it was President Kennedy's assassination, the Vietnam War, or MLK Jr. and the Civil Movement, his father would always explain the event and news to him.
His father instilled a love of history in him, giving him an interest in wanting to explore the things he saw or heard. This exhibit reminded him of how he felt as a child.
"When I saw this exhibition, and walking in here. I mean, it almost brought me back to childhood. You know, you have the feeling, you know, like, oh, my God, I’m reliving something.
"It was just like I've been here, I've done this. I know these people. This is a part of me," Logan said.
James Nixon is the vice president of Program Strategy and External Affairs for Ten North Group. He grew up in Georgia, and this exhibit is impactful for him.
"I grew up getting to stay at the old Paschal’s hotel in Atlanta … so to connect the dots on Dr. Withers being the photographer really resonated with me.
"There are pictures that I was able to learn about that I've seen for years."
Something to keep in mind when going through the exhibition is that Withers is also a controversial figure: He was an FBI informant.
Withers gave information to the bureau about the civil rights movement and its leaders.
Does that tarnish the legacy or the truth of these photos?
Diaz doesn’t think so. He says art is there to confront these questions and individuals like Withers.
"I think it’s important to history, I think it’s important to talk about the complexity of the lives that people lived, and he lived – again I use the word complex – but he was a complex person."
FLASH POINTS
When: June 17 to Aug. 31, 2023
Where: The Arc, 675 Ali Baba Avenue, Opa-locka
More information: Flash Points: The Photography of Ernest C. Withers
