Crook’s Lens:  L.A.-Based Activist Remembers Capturing Black Freedom Struggle in Photos

Edward Henderson | California Black Media (CBM) – Photographs serve as historical records, framing both big moments and small ones. Those images evoke a range of emotions such as passion, sadness, joy, nostalgia and more, connecting us emotionally to the history captured in them. L.A.-based photographer and organizer Ron Wilkins, 78, showcases powerful images he captured from the Black liberation movements of the of the 1960s and beyond in his new book “Crook’s Lens: A Photographic Journey Through the Black Liberation Struggle,” published on Jan. 30, 2024. The book by Wilkins includes photographs of renowned revolutionaries with whom he interacted, including Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis and Stokeley Carmichael (aka Kwame Ture). “I have a responsibility to our African ancestors who struggled for our liberation, who made sacrifices and committed a lot of time,” said Wilkins. “Some of them lost their lives in that struggle. I felt as an activist/organizer after all these years that since I’m still alive, I have a responsibility. The book is also a reflection of my evolution and ongoing work. I felt it was important I share my history, especially with young people. They can learn something from my example and carry on the struggle.”...