Controversy and Hope: The Civil Rights Photographs of James Karales

Selected by curators Cox and Jacob, and Karales’s widow, Monica, this collection features 93 of veteran photojournalist James Karales’s (1930–2002) images. Karales apprenticed with legendary photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, who had a “transformative” effect on him. The book provides a timeline of Karales’s life and career and delves into his work capturing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—including candid pictures of King relaxing at home with his family. The collection centers on Karales’s coverage of the five-day, 54-mile, Selma-to-Montgomery March for Voting Rights in 1965. His most famous shots retain their potency: a line of marchers below a gathering storm cloud; a man partially shaded by the U.S. flag that drapes him; a white amputee crutching the route with determination. There is a remarkable intimacy and spontaneity to Karales’s photographs; those of students training with SNCC are especially moving. Several joyful images show black onlookers waving as if at a heroes’ parade. The specter of violence looms in certain images, including a man taunting marchers with a Confederate flag. Featuring a foreword by civil rights leader Andrew Young, a preface by Jacob, an afterword by the photographer’s widow, and an essay by Cox, the book paints a picture of the photographer’s life and his incredible legacy. 121 illus. (May)