Jacklyn Kim '24, Photojournalism & Vlog Section Editor May 17, 2022
Photojournalism utilizes the power of a photograph to convey the truth and expose the reality of a society. Since the mid-nineteenth century, images have told unique stories so captivating that they have shaped the way we view the world. I have asked Marymount’s very own history department to share their personal favorite historical images, and their responses include a variety of striking photographs that truly demonstrate the power of a single image.
Mr. Beckner: “There are so many to choose from, but I suppose this one is among my favorites. 20,000 Americans at a pro-Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden in 1939. I like it because it helps demonstrate the relatively commonplace (and global) nature of extremism. Fascism wasn’t simply a Western European phenomenon. We had it here in the United States, too, and still do. I also like it because it’s generally astonishing to most Americans that there was so much support for Nazism over in our part of the world.”
Mr. Levine: “November 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson Sworn in as 36th President of The United States Aboard Air Force One. What I love about this picture is the spontaneity and awareness of government aids around this solemn occasion to support the new president, and most of all, the presence of Jackie Kennedy (right) standing shoulder-to-shoulder with President Johnson shortly after her husband, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas. This picture doesn’t show Jackie Kennedy’s full Chanel coat, which had blood stains from the bullet wound to JFK, marking the unmistaken urgency of the moment. Additionally, it is well known that the Kennedys and the Johnsons were acrimonious at best, but in this moment for the good of the country, their shared senses of patriotic duty prevailed.”
Mr. Baker: “This is my favorite historical image and really reflects the power of the grassroots during the Civil Rights Movement and especially the power of African American women in the movement. Particularity one of my favorite historical figures is featured in this image, Fannie Lou Hamer, who was a sharecropper from Mississippi who rose in the movement because of the power of her voice and her leadership skills. To me the movement embodies so much more than learning simply about Martin Luther King Jr. It was really a movement of the people that enacted truly lasting change.”
Dr. Baylor: "To add an international perspective, the top picture of "tank man" is my favorite because it shows that one person in the right circumstance can call out oppression. Runner up - Buddhist monk set himself on fire to protest South Vietnam's policies, and then 'flower power.'"
