This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement
Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA
October 19, 2023–February 25, 2024
Organized by the the Center for Documentary Expression and Art and the
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Photography by Robert Wedemeyer
Showcasing more than 150 photographs, the exhibition encouraged finding hope in our capacity for collective action. The photographs revealed the vital work undertaken by a broad coalition of young organizers and everyday people who fashioned a movement that changed America.
The exhibition highlights the work of nine photographers: Bob Adelman, George “Elfie” Ballis, Bob Fitch, Bob Fletcher, Matt Herron, David Prince, Herbert Randall, Maria Varela, and Tamio Wakayama. These nine photographers—of different ethnic, racial, religious, and geographic backgrounds—lived within the Movement and documented its activities by focusing on local people and socially-engaged students to portray community life as well as protest.
In addition to the photographs, the exhibition included audio recordings of the photographers recalling their time in the Movement, as well as protest music, posters, newspapers, and informational booklets from the 1960s.
“‘This Light of Ours” speaks to the importance of looking back into history
and learning from the work and the lives of those who came before us
in order to move forward with wisdom and hope toward building a better future.”
—Skirball Associate Curator Alissa Shapiro