died at the age of 79
March 17, 2010
Laura Frazin Steele
Charles Moore (1931-2010), whose compelling photographs documented
the civil rights movement and is credited with helping to promote the
passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, died on Thursday March 11, 2010
at the age of 79 of natural causes.
A white Southerner, photojournalist Charles Moore was appalled by
discrimination and fought it with his camera. He said, "I don't
wanna fight with my fists. I wanna fight with my camera."
Charles Moore's participation in the civil rights movement was not
intentional at first. In 1958, Mr. Moore was a photographer in
Alabama for the Montgomery Advertiser, and he happened to be present
at the historic arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. His photograph
of the arrest was widely distributed, thus beginning Mr. Moore's
significant impact on the civil rights movement.
Charles Moore worked as a contract photographer for Life magazine,
and often at danger to himself, covered major events in the civil
rights movement. His award winning, black and white photographs were
viewed nationally and were received with outrage and horror, which
influenced the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Born in Alabama, Charles Moore loved the South and found it difficult
to photograph brutal images of racial discrimination and
violence. He hoped that his photographs contributed toward making
the South better than it was before the civil rights movement.
Charles Moore's photographs were published in 1991 in Powerful Days:
The Civil Rights Photography of Charles Moore with text by Michael
Durham and an introduction by Andrew Young, former U.N. ambassador,
mayor of Atlanta, and aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. These
photographs chronicle the horrors of blacks being hosed, beaten, and
attacked by police dogs. Historic events of the era are documented,
including James Meredith integrating the University of Mississippi
and demonstrations in Birmingham.
In addition, Charles Moore photographed war and political violence in
the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela, and Vietnam. He is also
known for travel photography and corporate portraits.
Charles Moore's breathtaking photography was also published in the
1983 book The Mother Lode with text by Kristin Wrisley. The Mother
Lode chronicles the story of the California gold rush.
Powerful Days: The Civil Rights Photography of Charles Moore is
available throughout Los Angeles area Barnes and Noble and Borders
bookstores and can be ordered through Amazon.com. It is also
available at the Los Angeles Public Library, the Santa Monica Public
Library, and the Burbank Public Library.
The Mother Lode is available throughout Los Angeles area Barnes and
Noble bookstores and can be ordered through Amazon.com. It is also
available at the Los Angeles Public Library and the Burbank Public Library.
.
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