Photograph by
Oliver, Tommy, American, born 1984
Subject of
Dr. Abdullah, Melina, American, born 1972
Floyd, George Perry Jr., American, 1973 - 2020
Unidentified Man or Men
Unidentified Woman or Women
Black Lives Matter - Los Angeles, American, founded 2013
Date
June 6, 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 Dr. Melina Abdullah speaking at a Black Lives Matter protest in Century City, California. The image was taken by Tommy Oliver during the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. Abdullah stands in the right foreground and is shown from the waist up. She is turned in three-quarters profile, facing the left edge of the image. Her proper left arm is partially raised, and her hand is balled into a fist with her thumb out and pointing behind her. She is speaking into a black and silver tone microphone held in her proper right hand. She is wearing a black T-shirt with black and white text on the front that reads [BLACK LIVES MATTER] and [LOS ANGELES] printed above and below an illustration of the Los Angeles skyline. She also has a cloth face mask pulled down and resting on her collarbone, five beaded bangles around her proper left wrist, and a leather patchwork purse draped over her proper left shoulder. Gathered behind her are a number of protesters, most of whom are wearing face masks or other protective face coverings. Behind her, to her left, is a male protester holding up a large white sign with large dark text that reads [BLACK / LIVES / MATTER] with three letters accented with hearts. In the background are several multi-storied buildings, including a rounded building with rows of balconies.
Place captured
Century City, 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
2021.31.45
Restrictions & Rights
© Tommy Oliver
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd533181beb-b234-4c40-8905-80fe44a1553e

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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