Throughout most of the history of photojournalism, the images of African Americans featured in White-owned media were captured by people who were not Black. Black Issues spoke to some of today's most prominent African American photojournalists to get their views on the education and experience students of color need to excel in this highly competitive field.
Veteran photojournalist Milbert Orlando Brown knew he had something special when he was assigned to photograph seventeen-year-old trumpet player Timothy Wilborn.
Wilborn is a resident of Robert Taylor Homes, one of Chicago's most notorious public housing projects. He was the subject of a June 24, 1997, Chicago Tribune feature story because he had inspired wealthy Chicago philanthropist Gertude Nielsen to finance his college education.
Near the end of the photo session, Brown, who has a knack for finding dignity in the bleakest of environments, asked the all-city-band trumpeter to play his instrument. Unexpectedly, a little boy, a neighbor listening to the music, wandered into view. In an instant, Brown saw that the youngster's presence added a depth of humanity that would transform an above-average portrait into something extraordinary.
"The little boy came out of nowhere. [His presence] made it a special moment that had a certain dramatic impact," Brown says.
The resulting picture, titled "The Promise," was later nominated by the Chicago Tribune in the prestigious Pulitzer Prize feature photo competition. Last week, the image won the National Association of Black Journalists' top prize for a single-image news photo.
Brown is part of a small cadre of Black photojournalists at major American newspapers who are hitting the heights of their profession. Their prominence is deemed critical to the efforts of journalism educators and photographers who are trying to attract and groom the next generation of African American photojournalists.
Too few African American and other students of color are aware that photojournalism represents a viable career path, and thus minority student representation in college photojournalism courses and programs remains low.
