A Digital Archive of the African American Photography Collection of the Institute for Arts & Media

FAIN: PW-51305-13

California State University, Northridge, University Corporation (Northridge, CA 91330-8316)
Kent Kirkton (Project Director: July 2012 to May 2019)
Jose Luis Benavides (Project Director: May 2019 to March 2021)

Processing of 551,000 photographs and creation of a digital archive of 19,820 selected images from collections of three prominent photojournalists in the African American Photography Collection.

This project will create a digital archive of 19,820 images from the African American Photography Collection of the Institute for Arts & Media at California State University, Northridge, between May 1, 2013 and April 30, 2016. The collection documents the social, cultural, and political aspects of African American life in post-war Los Angeles and Southern California and in doing so illuminates nationally significant themes such as racial segregation and discrimination, the civil rights movement, African American entertainment and cultural leaders, and major political and cultural events. The project will focus on the work of prominent photojournalists Harry Adams, Charles Williams, and Guy Crowder, whose collections together total 551,000 images. The digital archive will expand access to and use of these images, furthering NEH efforts to bridge cultures within our society.

Associated Products

Harry Adams Photographs (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Harry Adams Photographs
Author: Tom & Ethel Bradley Center
Abstract: Harry Adams, also known as “One Shot Harry,” was one of the best-known members of the Los Angeles African American community. Having access to the city’s inner circle, he became known for his images of politicians, entertainers, and society figures. Adams worked as a freelancer for the California Eagle and Los Angeles Sentinel for 35 years and had a number of churches and lawyers as clients. His collection is particularly rich in its documentation of African American social life including images of social organizations, churches, schools, civil rights organizations, protests and cultural events. Born in Arkansas in 1918, Adams became interested in photography when he was 12 years old. His photographic career began after he completed a tour of duty in World War II and graduated from the California School of Photography and Graphic Design (operated by Los Angeles photographer Charles Williams). The collection of images for the period 1950–1985 is rich in its depiction of the unique lives of African Americans in and around the Los Angeles area. There are many images of important black political leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy, Malcolm X, and many others. Also included are images of Coretta Scott King, Rev. Maurice Dawkins; Mayor Tom Bradley; Jackie Robinson; Rev. H. H. Brookins, Congresswoman and County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite-Burke (the first African American woman to represent the West Coast in Congress); Leon and Ruth Washington (founders of the Los Angeles Sentinel); Jessie Jackson; Julian Bond; Cassius Clay; Dr. H. Claude Hudson (founder of the NAACP); civil rights attorney and California Superior Court Justice Loren Miller; and many musicians and entertainers.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://digital-library.csun.edu/bradley-center-photographs/harry-adams
Primary URL Description: Primary page with access to 5,341 digital photographs by Harry Adams with metadata. This page offers information about Adams and a link to browse the collection.
Secondary URL: https://digital-collections.csun.edu/digital/collection/Bradley/search/searchterm/adams/field/creato/mode/all/conn/and/order/nosort
Secondary URL Description: Primary library page with all Bradley Center photo collections.
Access Model: Open Access

Guy Crowder Photographs (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Guy Crowder Photographs
Author: Tom & Ethel Bradley Center
Abstract: Guy Crowder chronicled political, social and athletic events in Los Angeles for over 25 years. After graduating from high school in Compton, he enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve, serving from 1957-1963. It was during his military years that he developed his interest in photography from a hobby to a career. His professional career began in 1960 as a staff photographer for Your Community Studio in Los Angeles. He took classes at Harbor College and L. A. Trade Technical College. Crowder worked as a freelance photographer for the Los Angeles Sentinel, LA Metropolitan Gazette, Los Angeles Times, Ebony and Jet Magazines, Herald Examiner, Southwest Wave, Tempo News,and the West Coast News. This gave him the privilege of a close proximity to the heartbeat of his community. In 1974, Los Angeles Supervisor Kenneth Hahn asked Crowder to work for him, making Crowder the first African American to be employed by the Board of Supervisors. Crowder maintained his own studio and employed as many as three photographers in his shop. Crowder, or one of his photographers routinely worked seven days a week on assignments. The Guy Crowder collection consists of photographs of black politicians, athletes, and celebrities and includes images of nearly every African American of any importance who passed through Los Angeles and Las Vegas during his career. Highlights include coverage of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) shootout, the police attack on the Black Panthers, the 1965 Watts riots, Mayor Tom Bradley’s campaigns and swearing-in ceremonies, ongoing coverage of the Jackson Five and Michael Jackson, the NAACP, and 100 Black Men, Brotherhood Crusade, the Los Angeles Urban League, Julian Bond, Johnnie Cochran, Jamaal Wilkes, Magic Johnson, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dr. King's funeral, the Grammys, the NAACP Image Awards, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Walter Mondale, John Wooden, Governor Jerry Brown, and Jimmy Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://digital-library.csun.edu/bradley-center-photographs/guy-crowder
Primary URL Description: Primary page with information about guy Crowder and a link to access 8,031 of his images with metadata.
Secondary URL: https://digital-library.csun.edu/bradley-center-photographs
Secondary URL Description: The Tom & Ethel Bradley Center's Photograph Collections page, in the Oviatt Library Digital Collections.
Access Model: Open Access

Charles Williams Photographs (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Charles Williams Photographs
Author: Tom & Ethel Bradley Center
Abstract: Charles Williams photographed for theCalifornia Eagle and the Los Angeles Sentinel as a freelance photographer. The earliest images in his collection are from the mid-1940s. His career was interrupted when Williams chose to relocate with his Japanese wife Yoshi Kuwahara and their daughter to Chicago rather than have them sent to a relocation camp. Upon his return to Los Angeles, he began his wide ranging coverage of the African American community covering the Civil Rights Movement, churches, politics, social activities, and celebrities. Williams also established The California School of Photography and gave many aspiring photographers their start. He continued working as a photographer himself and became the official photographer for Los Angeles City Councilman Gordon Hahn, eventually becoming Hahn's field deputy. As a result, Williams' coverage of the Counsel and other city activities is especially rich. His association with Hahn also provided him access to many political activities including coverage of Richard Nixon's campaign for governor in Los Angeles.
Year: 2018
Primary URL: https://digital-library.csun.edu/bradley-center-photographs/charles-williams
Primary URL Description: Primary page with information about photographer Charles Williams and a link to access 5,340 of his images with metadata.
Secondary URL: https://digital-library.csun.edu/bradley-center-photographs
Secondary URL Description: The Tom & Ethel Bradley Center's Photograph Collections page at the Oviatt Library Digital Collections.
Access Model: Open access

African Americans at Work in Post - WWII Los Angeles (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: African Americans at Work in Post - WWII Los Angeles
Author: David Moguel
Abstract: African Americans at Work in Post-WWII Los Angeles: To what extent were African Americans marginal workers needed in times of economic prosperity, and to what extent were they an integral part of the Los Angeles economy, laying the basis for social and political integration? Teachers and students are provided with (a) historical background information on the employment conditions of African Americans in Los Angeles before, during, and after World War II; (b) a set of photographs with useful information on each time period; and (c) resources for further study. A suggested lesson activity encourages students to investigate the employment and working conditions of their own parents, then compare those to that of the individuals portrayed in the photographs.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/african-americans-work-post-wwii-los-angeles
Primary URL Description: Four sets of lessons ask challenging questions and provide teachers and students access to the Center's photographs — digitized with the assistance of a federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities — video and audio oral history interviews, maps, and interesting ideas for classroom activities.
Secondary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/african-americans-work-post-wwii-los-angeles
Secondary URL Description: A curriculum set of 4 units, including multiple lessons, that are aligned with the History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools in the 11th grade: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century
Audience: K - 12

Race, Housing and the Fight for Civil Rights in Los Angeles (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: Race, Housing and the Fight for Civil Rights in Los Angeles
Author: David Moguel
Abstract: The lesson suggests a provocative warm-up for students, and provides historical background information on the living and housing conditions of African Americans in Los Angeles before, during, and after WWII, and on the legal struggles surrounding racially restrictive housing covenants. The lesson features map activities that enable students to locate landmarks such as the neighborhoods and residences of African-American celebrities and persons of influence on historical, aerial, and modern maps.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/race-housing-and-fight-civil-rights-los-angeles
Primary URL Description: The lesson suggests a provocative warm-up for students, and provides historical background information on the living and housing conditions of African Americans in Los Angeles before, during, and after WWII, and on the legal struggles surrounding racially restrictive housing covenants. The lesson features map activities that enable students to locate landmarks such as the neighborhoods and residences of African-American celebrities and persons of influence on historical, aerial, and modern maps.
Secondary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/bradley-digital-history-project
Secondary URL Description: A curriculum set of 4 units, including multiple lessons, that are aligned with the History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools in the 11th grade: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century.
Audience: K - 12

The Struggle to Desegregate Los Angeles Schools, 1940-1970 (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: The Struggle to Desegregate Los Angeles Schools, 1940-1970
Author: David Moguel
Abstract: The lesson suggests a thought-provoking warm-up for students, and provides historical background information on and photographs of African American students and segregated schools before and after World War II. The lesson features map activities enabling students to locate still existing schools in various regions of Los Angeles, using historical, aerial, and modern maps. The lesson also features a look at efforts to desegregate schools in the 1970s and 1980s, oral and written recollections of those efforts, and a collection of compelling quotes on efforts to integrate schools.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/struggle-desegregate-los-angeles-schools-1940-1970
Primary URL Description: The lesson suggests a thought-provoking warm-up for students, and provides historical background information on and photographs of African American students and segregated schools before and after World War II. The lesson features map activities enabling students to locate still existing schools in various regions of Los Angeles, using historical, aerial, and modern maps. The lesson also features a look at efforts to desegregate schools in the 1970s and 1980s, oral and written recollections of those efforts, and a collection of compelling quotes on efforts to integrate schools.
Secondary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/bradley-digital-history-project
Secondary URL Description: A curriculum set of 4 units, including multiple lessons, that are aligned with the History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools in the 11th grade: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century.
Audience: K - 12

https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/intentional-civility-mayor-tom-bradley (Course or Curricular Material)
Title: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/intentional-civility-mayor-tom-bradley
Author: David Moguel
Abstract: In the Los Angeles of the 1960s and 1970s, more than 50 years ago, it can be argued that poverty, crime, racism, and racial and ethnic strife were even worse than they are today. In that context, how was a single African-American man able to get so many people of all different backgrounds to work together? On the other hand, given that he was a former police officer, why did he experience such a difficult relationship with the Los Angeles Police Department? This lesson recommends a useful introductory exercise in which students are asked to define key terms related to civility, then provides resource information on the availability and authorized documentaries of the work and life of Mayor Tom Bradley, including extensive curricula aligned with the Common Core Standards. The lesson takes a special look at the difficult relationship between an African-American mayor, who was a former police officer, and the Los Angeles Police Department, during the years that led, and the years that followed, massive civil disturbances in the city. Photographs and essays support activities that enable teachers and students to look to the future and imagine a city and a society in which fellow citizens are intentionally civil to each other.
Year: 2017
Primary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/intentional-civility-mayor-tom-bradley
Primary URL Description: The lesson takes a special look at the difficult relationship between an African-American mayor, who was a former police officer, and the Los Angeles Police Department, during the years that led, and the years that followed, massive civil disturbances in the city. Photographs and essays support activities that enable teachers and students to look to the future and imagine a city and a society in which fellow citizens are intentionally civil to each other.
Secondary URL: https://www.csun.edu/bradley-center/bradley-digital-history-project
Secondary URL Description: A curriculum set of 4 units, including multiple lessons, that are aligned with the History-Social Science Content Standards for California Public Schools in the 11th grade: United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century.
Audience: K - 12

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