Description

Here are the Black Panthers, shown in a moving collection of photographs by Ruth-Marion Baruch and her husband, Pirkle Jones: stoics in dashikis; a youth in a black leather jacket, tenderly spooning cereal into a child's mouth; faces that show dreams, purpose, rebellion. These pictures, originally gathered for an exhibit at San Francisco's De Young Museum, comprised what was perhaps the most controversial show in the museum's history -- and was certainly one of the most popular. Since the San Francisco exhibit, the photographs have been shown at The Studio Museum in Harlem, and at Dartmouth College. These varied, candid shots portray the Panthers in their political and personal lives. On the faces of these young men and women are reflected the violence and the hope of America. With an excellent historical interpretation of the Panthers by black journalist William Worthy, 'The Vanguard' is a document of our times.