Photograph by
Oliver, Tommy, American, born 1984
Subject of
Unidentified Man or Men
Unidentified Woman or Women
Floyd, George Perry Jr., American, 1973 - 2020
Lacey, Jackie, American, born 1957
Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles, American, founded 2013
Date
June 3, 2020
Medium
digital
Dimensions
H x W: 4480 pixels × 6720 pixels
File size: 172.3 MB
Caption
Photographer Tommy Oliver is an award-winning producer and cinematographer in television and film. Best known for his 2020 documentary 40 Years a Prisoner on HBO, his docuseries Black Love (2017–2020) on OWN, and his feature film The Perfect Guy (2015), Oliver challenges audiences to question their assumptions about race, gender, and family. The film Kinyarwanda (2011), which Oliver co-produced, weaves together narratives of resilience during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It won the Sundance Film Festival’s award for World Cinema Drama and was recognized as one of the top 10 films of 2011. This photograph is part of a broader portfolio of images taken during Black Lives Matter rallies in Los Angeles between May 31 and June 14, 2020.
Description
A digital, black-and-white image of an unidentified man addressing a crowd of protesters at a Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles protest against District Attorney Jackie Lacey in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The image was taken by Tommy Oliver during the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. The man is shown in full length on the left side of the image, standing in profile, facing a crowd of protesters. The speaker and protesters are in the middle of a city street with a double line running down the center. The protesters are mostly seated on the street in a semicircle around the speaker. Towards the back of the crowd there are also some standing protesters. Almost all the protesters are wearing face masks, bandanas, or other types of protective face coverings. The man is speaking into a handheld microphone held in his proper left hand, attached to a black, Pyle bullhorn held in his proper right hand. He is wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and dark sneakers. He also has a small towel clutched in his proper right hand along with the bullhorn. A seated protester at the center of the image has her black-and-white protest sign propped up on her legs, which are stretched out in front of her. The sign has two white bands on the top and bottom with a black band across the center. The sign’s black and white centered text reads [BLACK / LIVES / MATTER]. In the background, behind the protesters and the speaker, is a low brick wall capped with black metal fencing and a building with columns and metal roll-up doors.
Place captured
Downtown LA, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Movement
Black Lives Matter
Type
digital images
digital media - born digital
Topic
Activism
Justice
Photography
Police brutality
Race relations
Resistance
U.S. History, 2001-
Urban life
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Tommy and Codie Oliver
Object number
2021.31.44
Restrictions & Rights
© Tommy Oliver
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5d096e2b0-9fec-4830-a097-245a6d692945

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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