The See in Black collective, a coalition of 80 Black photographers dedicated to uplifting and advocating for Black visibility, is hosting a limited, two-week print sale, with support from Artifact Uprising. Launched on Friday, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, it will remain open until July 3rd, the day before Independence Day.
This project marks the birth of See in Black, a historic initiative founded by the photographers Joshua Kissi and Micaiah Carter. 100% of the proceeds for the limited sale will go towards supporting civil rights, criminal justice reform, education and the arts, community building, and intersectionality, with funds benefiting Know Your Rights Camp, Youth Empowerment Project, National Black Justice Coalition, Black Futures Lab, and The Bail Project.
“We do not merely make images of Black figures, we document history that is often unrecorded with intentionality, respect, nuance, and care,” Kissi and Carter write. “We serve as a platform for Black people to stand proudly in their permanence.”
The team continues, “Historically, Black people have been on the receiving end of the camera lens as the subject matter. The gaze by which we were viewed was not ours. Now, it’s vital that we are narrators of how our stories are told and how we’re seen.
“With the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Tony McDade, and other Black people at the hands of law enforcement, See In Black formed as a collective of Black photographers to dismantle white supremacy and systematic oppression.”
From Braylen Dion‘s tender portrait of his baby cousin to Kennedi Carter‘s stirring exploration of Black womanhood in the American South, each one of these remarkable photos warrants careful viewing in person, not just today but every day.
“As a Black photographer, I always felt like I had the due diligence to tell the truth — to put something that felt near and dear to my heart out there in the best way possible,” Kissi recently told Artifact Uprising. “If it impacts the next kid, I could go to sleep that night. I feel like I’m doing my job as long as it’s impacting somebody in the world to feel more seen or to feel more heard. I feel like I’m doing exactly what I’m supposed to be doing as a Black photographer and a storyteller.”
All the photos are currently available as large-format fine art prints. For just $100 a piece, and for a limited time only, any one of us can hold a piece of history–and support some of our nation’s most important and necessary causes in the process.
“I’m very excited for this platform to be the beginning of such a bigger picture,” Micaiah Carter writes on Instagram. “With over 80+ it’s such a beautiful thing to see these images next to each other as a reflection of Black America in every facet. This is also a continuing thing, Round 2 and more is coming quickly–this is a lifetime community, not a performative moment.”