Photographer Kwame Brathwaite dies — he helped popularize Black Is Beautiful: NPR

Kwame Brathwaite, Sikolo Brathwaite wearing a helmet designed by Carolee Prince, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, California. 1968; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Slot, 2019)

Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

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Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

Kwame Brathwaite, Sikolo Brathwaite wearing a helmet designed by Carolee Prince, African Jazz-Art Society & Studios (AJASS), Harlem, California. 1968; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Slot, 2019)

Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

Photographer Kwame Brathwaite, who helped popularize the “Black is Beautiful” movement in the 1960s, has died. From Nelson Mandela to Muhammad Ali and the so-called Grandassa models, Brathwaite’s work has embraced black strength and beauty. He chronicled such events as The Motown Revue at the Apollo in 1963, The Jackson 5’s first trip to Africa in 1974, and Foreman Ali’s legendary match, The Rumble in the Jungle.

Brathwaite’s death was announced by his son on Instagram.

Books by Kwame S. Archives.

In recent years, Brathwaite’s work has been the subject of exhibitions, books, and even a fashion line created by Brathwaite Rihanna.

Kwame Brathwaite, self-portrait, African Jazz Society and Studios (AJASS), Harlem, CA. 1964; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Slot, 2019)

Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

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Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

Kwame Brathwaite, self-portrait, African Jazz Society and Studios (AJASS), Harlem, California. 1964; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Slot, 2019)

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Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

Inspired by Jamaican-born activist Marcus Garvey, Brathwaite was deeply involved in black culture and activism beginning in the 1950s—he and his brother Elumbe Pratt helped organize concerts at clubs in the Bronx and Harlem. Kwame pictures them. They helped create ajasAfrican Jazz Art Society and Studio.

Ronald Brathwaite was born in Harlem in 1938, his parents are from Barbados. The family moved to the Bronx when he was five years old. His father was a tailor and owned a dry cleaning business. His mother sold homemade Caribbean dishes from their home.

Kwame Brathwaite, Sekulo Brathwaite, African Jazz Music Association and Studios (AJASS), Harlem, CA. 1968; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Slot, 2019)

Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

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Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

Kwame Brathwaite, Sekulo Brathwaite, African Jazz Music Association and Studios (AJASS), Harlem, CA. 1968; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Slot, 2019)

Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

Grandassa models celebrated natural beauty

Brathwaite’s photo series for Grandassaland Models is inspired by the term Grandassa, which was coined by Carlos Cooks, founder of the African nationalist pioneer movement. The idea was to inspire black women to embrace their African heritage rather than trying to emulate white women by straightening their hair.

“We said, ‘We have to do something to make women feel proud of their hair, proud of their blackness,'” Tell The New Yorker.

Grandassa models have put on famous fashion shows called “Naturally”.

Kwame Brathwaite, Grandasa model on stage, Apollo Theatre, Harlem, California. 1968; from Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautiful (Aperture, 2019).

Kwame Brathwaite / Philip Martin Gallery, Los Angeles / Aperture

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Braithwaite said thinking at the time Vogue magazine, “I remember every second of it. There was so much joy in doing those shows. It was all about collaborating and working together.” He continued, “My goal has always been to capture the beauty of black women, to restore black pride and the spirit of black women.”

Among recent exhibitions of Brathwaite’s work has been presented by the New York Historical Society Black is Beautiful: Photography by Kwame Brathwaite.

Michael Famigetti, who did the editing Kwame Brathwaite: Black is beautifulAnd He told NPR in an email, “It’s inspiring how Brathwaite has used his photography to push the message of Black Is Beautiful through a clever mix of art, fashion, music, and community activism.” Famighetti states that Brathwaite “was a visionary, and it was amazing to see his work from the ’60s return to the show, resonating with a younger group of photographers grappling with issues of representation, capturing the popular imagination, and even influencing a contemporary cultural giant like Rihanna.”