Visually Speaking with Jamal Shabazz

Jamel Shabazz is one cool brotha and not just because of the double-breasted, ivory-colored jacket he rocked at his talk hosted by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. But because of his photography which captures the soul of New York City’s residents during the 70s and 80s. 

Highly influenced by photojournalism and Black in White America by Leonard Freeman, a book his father kept on their coffee table; his style is categorized as documentary photography and sometimes fashion photography as it puts on display the street style of the youth during the hip-hop era. After tonight’s talk, I’m sure his style should be categorized as a socially conscious photography. 

Shabazz came of age during the political restlessness of the 60s and 70s. He also spent several years in the military. Those years heavily swayed his desire to serve and uplift his community which was suffering under the weight of crack, mass incarceration,the dismantling of the black family and severe socioeconomic inequality. He used his gift as a way to connect with brothers and sisters in the community, at times inviting young brothers to play chess with him while educating them on politics and asking them about their plans for the future.

I’m an an eighties baby so it goes without saying that I obviously have a love for his photography. However, the real reason why I gravitate to his portraits is my parents. My mother and father were in their early twenties during that era and we became victims of the crack epidemic and subsequently mass incarceration. With my parents divorced and my father struggling with addiction, sometimes the only visions I had of my father were stories that were told to me about their lives in Chicago filled with hip-hop parties, fly clothes, etc. As a result, I romanticized that time before crack. And when I see Shabazz’s photos they give me an extra visual element that I didn’t have before and allow me to supplement the vivid imagination of my childhood.

Shabazz said that he hoped that when people looked at his photography they would see the soul of his subjects and seek to understand who these people are…well I see it Brother Shabazz. I see it.

FILM: DIASPORADICAL TRILOGIA

CLIP: Nina Simone at Sesame Street