Visual Artifacts

Emmett Till

I chose the juxtaposition of the photographs of Emmett Till because it is such a riveting and
telling image in many ways. This image is one of the most powerful pictures to emerge in the
discourse of American racial history. The horrific injustice of the murder of this 14 year-old boy on
August 28, 1955 resonated with countless people across the country and deeply stirred something
within them to demand justice and act in the name of change as discussed in Behold the Corpse:
Violent Images and the Case of Emmett Till by Christine Harold and Kevin Michael DeLuca. Among
other things, this powerfully gut wrenching visual illustrates the horrific reality that children were
not spared the ugliness of racially charged brutality. The fact that this atrocity could happen at all,
especially to a child and that the perpetrators could talk about it freely in a sickeningly proud
manner and still elude justice is beyond me. This serves as a testament to the sheer power of
American racial ideology as an institution during this era.

Martin Luther King Jr. /Malcom X

I chose this image because I feel it is the example that best illustrates the way in which
many iconic figures in history are not allowed the inherent complexity of humanity. They are
instead stripped of their holistic personal identities and instead branded by a couple of supposed
defining characteristics. These iconic men carry the burden of symbolizing narrow representations
that are considered to be most convenient to ensuring the stability of dominant ideology in regards
to the Civil Rights movement and American history in general. The memory of these men today is
unjust to their true selves and hinders the understanding of them as human beings. In this case it is
that Martin Luther King Jr. is the embodiment of the good Civil Rights movement while the image
of Malcom X is besmirched due to the manner in which he is considered to be symbolic of the bad
Civil Rights movement.

The Mammy

The first picture is a still of the mammy image as seen in Ethnic Notions. The following
picture represents the evolution of the Mammy image through Aunt Jemima. I chose these images
because it is representative of the profound impact of one of the most prominent racial caricatures
in American culture. The characteristics attributed to Mammy are meant to highlight notions of
inferiority as well as backwardness. As Barbara Christian mentions in Ethnic Notions, the
Mammy image along with other racial caricatures were meant to convey the message that blacks
couldnt make it. Its interesting that this racial caricature that served as the ultimate defense of
slavery continues to be prominent today through the success of Aunt Jemima pancake and syrup
products.

Three Policemen Restrain a Negro Woman on the Ground after She Failed To Move
On As Ordered- May 6, 1963. AP/Wide World Photos, New York:

I chose this image because I feel it showcases just how instrumental photojournalism was in
the Civil Rights movement. This photograph is of Ethel Witherspoon as she is being unfairly
attacked by three police officers and then arrested, although the caption above suggests otherwise.
I found this photograph interesting because as mentioned by Martin Berger in Seeing Through Race:
A Reinterpretation of Civil Rights Photography, The distinctive framing of Times photograph of
Witherspoons arrest provided both more and less context than did the version in black
periodicalsTimes photograph distances viewers from the violence of the arrest and the social
dynamics of the scene (115-116). On the contrary, in black periodicals the picture is framed by an
angle that provides an up close focus of the incident which does more justice in showing
Witherspoons struggle as she is mistreated. This shows the importance of written language as well
as the framing of visual literacy and how it is used as a weapon to instill or further reinforce
ideology, in this case racial ideology. Besides what this image directly illustrates, it also is a strong

indicator of how Ideological state apparatuses such as the police, government and the media have
played a key role in upholding the institution of racism.
Integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas
- September 4, 1957:

I chose this image because as you eloquently stated Professor Tindal, this image serves to
illustrate mob versus movement. When I see this picture, I cant help but be compelled and inspired
by the dignity and grace of Elizabeth Eckford as well as saddened by the cowardice and lack of
humanity exemplified by those protesting the integration of Little Rock High School. I am also
reminded of the strength and courage exemplified by the countless men, women and children who
fought not only for civil rights, but for human rights and to be recognized as humans, humans
equally deserving of a chance at a fair and happy life.