Photograph by
Oliver, Tommy, American, born 1984
Subject of
Unidentified Man or Men
Unidentified Woman or Women
YG, American, born 1990
Floyd, George Perry Jr., American, 1973 - 2020
Taylor, Breonna, American, 1993 - 2020
Arbery, Ahmaud, American, 1994 - 2020
Sterling, Alton, American, died 2016
Martin, Trayvon, American, 1995 - 2012
Garner, Eric, 1970 - 2014
Clark, Stephon, American, 2015 - 2018
Bland, Sandra, American, died 2015
Date
June 7, 2020
Medium
digital
Dimensions
H x W: 4175 pixels × 6720 pixels
File size: 160.58 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, color image of YG participating in a Black Lives Matter protest in Hollywood, California. The image was taken by Tommy Oliver during the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. YG is depicted at the center of the image, facing the viewer, and with his head turned towards his proper right shoulder. He is wearing a black tank top, black pants, a black studded leather belt, and a black baseball-style cap turned backwards. He is looking towards an unidentified man in the crowd who has both fists raised to chest level in front of him, with his middle fingers extended upwards. The unidentified man is wearing a black, short sleeve T-shirt with a red, yellow, and green graphic on the front and a matching baseball-style cap worn backwards. YG and the unidentified man are surrounded by a large group of protesters, many of whom are wearing face masks or other types of protective face coverings, and some carrying raised protest signs. A large yellow protest sign with handwritten black and red text held over YG’s head reads [JUSTICE / FOR / #GEORGEFLOYD / #BREONNATAYLOR / #AHMAUDARBREY[sic] / #ALTONStERLING / #TRAYVONMARTIN / #ERICGARNER / #STEPHONCLARK / #SANDRABLAND / #SAYTHEIRNAMES]. Other signs read [(L)ATINOS / FOR / BLACK (LIVES)], [THIS IS A / REVOLT / AGAINST / RACISM] and [Justice for / GEORGE FLOYD / Jail Killer / Cops!]. In the background, are multi-storied buildings and leafy trees.
Place captured
Hollywood, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Photographs and Still Images
Movement
Black Lives Matter
African American - Latinx Solidarity
Type
digital images
digital media - born digital
Topic
Activism
Hip-hop (Music)
Justice
Photography
Police brutality
Race relations
Rappers (Musicians)
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
2021.31.62
Restrictions & Rights
© Tommy Oliver
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd53fe70207-30dc-45f0-aa08-5f9f73cb88d5

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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