From Slavery to Freedom Film Series: Through a Lens Darkly

Presented as part of the From Slavery to Freedom Film Series, “Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People” explores the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations, and social emergence of African Americans, from slavery to today.

Deborah Willis, Ph.D., photo historian and author of “Reflections in Black,” the book which the film is based upon, will join the broadcast following the screening to discuss the movie. Willis is a MacArthur Genius Fellow and a Guggenheim Fellow, a New York University (NYU) Professor and Chair of the Department of Photography & Imaging at the Tisch School of the Arts, and the director of NYU’s Center for Black Visual Culture/Institute for African American Affairs. Her research examines photography’s multifaceted histories, visual culture, contemporary women photographers, and beauty.

The From Slavery to Freedom Film Series is presented by the History Center’s African American Program and is supported by Highmark and Allegheny Health Network.