CLEVELAND — Photographs are about the closest we can get to freezing time. They can revive memories of important events and help educate those who weren’t around to bear witness.
The Western Reserve Historical Society’s Cleveland History Center has a new exhibition highlighting the work of Black photographers from Cleveland.
History in Their Hands: Black Photographers in Cleveland, Ohio, 1968 – Present is the inaugural exhibit in a new permanent gallery located inside the Bingham Hannah Mansion, dedicated to honoring African American contributions to American History.
At 91 years old, local painter and photographer Charles Pinkney has seen life flash before his eyes.
“I wanted my pictures to be truthful, to be honest and be fair,” Pinkney said.
He’s one of six photographers to have some of their most meaningful pieces displayed.
“I try to take pictures that have some kind of meaning – that tell a story,” Pinkney said.
Distinguished Scholar of African American History and Culture Curator of Community Partnerships and Traveling Exhibitions, Dr. Regennia William, was part of the team that got the exhibition off the ground.
“These photographers have traveled and lived all over the country and made friends for Black History all over the world,” Williams said.
She told me 1968 was a watershed moment. It was the year Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, and she said it changed the Civil Rights Movement- ushering in a new generation of leaders.
“So, you shouldn't be surprised Dr King is not in this exhibition,” Williams said. “It's not that the photographers didn't have images of him- Jesse Jackson is in this exhibition.”
As are many other prominent local and national leaders, including former Cleveland City Council President and Cleveland NAACP President George Forbes, Malcolm X, and Muhammad Ali.
“Another great hero (Ali) as far as athletes and outspoken antiwar activists in this period,” Williams said.
Pinkney’s portraits on display include playwright August Wilson and Judge Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
“Politics turned in America as a result of her life,” Pinkney said.
Tubbs Jones was the first African American woman from Ohio to be elected to the United States Congress.
Pinkney also took a photo of the first members of the Cleveland Chapter of The National Association of Black Journalists.
He managed to set a timer on his camera so he could be included in the photograph.
But Pinkney also photographed the faces of everyday people.
He pointed to one photograph of a young girl holding a book.
“An authentic moment?” I asked Pinkney.
“Yes, the authentic… decisive moment,” Pinkney said.
A decisive moment in Pinkney’s life came in the late 1970s.
“I was in the dark room where I spent a lot of time making pictures and the phone rang,” Pinkney said. “The chief photographer for the Pittsburgh Press was on the other end and said, ‘Do you still want that job?’”
Pinkney became that paper’s first full-time Black photographer.
"What were you trying to accomplish as a photographer?” I asked Pinkney.
He answered, “The main thing I was trying to overcome was stereotypes. I knew that all black women didn’t look like Aunt Jemima. And I knew all Black men were not like Uncle Ben. I want to show how beautiful we were.”
Photographer and storyteller Mychal Lilly has seen a lot of that beauty over the decades working around the world.
"It's definitely an art. A gift. A God gift,” Lilly said.
He’s documented famous singers, athletes, political leaders and community activists.
A photograph he took of former Cleveland Cavaliers player Larry Nance is one of his personal favorites.
“And if you look he actually tipped the ball a little higher than Kareem,” Lilly said. “So that was very important to him and that picture kind of started our relationship.”
He also photographed Tina Turner during a concert in Cleveland, the Tuskegee Airmen and Coretta Scott King, wife of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“That was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference,” Lilly said. “And that was… that was powerful. That was awesome.”
Lilly told me he’s humbled to have his passion shared among trailblazers, including Pinkney who mentored him, and the late Jimmy Gayle. Gayle was one of the first African American photographers to work for a Cleveland daily newspaper.
“I can say it now. He, years ago, he used to sneak me into Plain Dealer dark room and say, ‘Man, you know, meet me here at 10, and I'll show you some tricks and all that.’”
Pinkney never imagined his photos would be displayed in such a manner.
"I’m just so grateful that I had the opportunity to be here,” Pinkney said.
The exhibition runs through the summer of 2025.
