BOOKS

Tanisha is the author of three books and countless articles.

“Writing books is challenging, but something in me can’t resist showing up to the page.” -Tanisha

Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful

Aperture, May 2019

BUYING OPTIONS

The hidden figure behind the Black Is Beautiful movement finally gets his shine.

In the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, Kwame Brathwaite used his photography to popularize the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful.” This monograph―the first ever dedicated to Brathwaite’s remarkable career―tells the story of a key, but under-recognized, figure of the second Harlem Renaissance.

Inspired by the writings of activist and black nationalist Marcus Garvey, Brathwaite, along with his older brother, Elombe Brath, founded the African Jazz Arts Society and Studios (AJASS) and the Grandassa Models (1962). AJASS was a collective of artists, playwrights, designers, and dancers; Grandassa Models was a modeling agency for black women, founded to challenge white beauty standards. From stunning studio portraits of the Grandassa Models to behind-the-scenes images of Harlem’s artistic community, including Max Roach, Abbey Lincoln, and Miles Davis, this book offers a long-overdue exploration of Brathwaite’s life and work

MEDIA COVERAGE

Fiancial times

Black is beautiful: the photographs of Kwame Brathwaite

Celebrating the work of a man who captured a pivotal moment in African-American history

hyperallergic

How Photography and Jazz Merged to Forge the “Black Is Beautiful” Movement

Kwame Brathwaite's photographs push the boundaries of beauty, transforming how we define Blackness.

New York Times

Uncovering the Soul of the ‘Black Is Beautiful’ Movement

Photographer Kwame Brathwaite helped ignite a global celebration of African-American style and identity.

Vogue

The Soul of the “Black Is Beautiful” Movement

A glorious celebration of the rally cry Black Is Beautiful.

Afropunk

The Beauty of Blackness in Kwame Brathwaite's Images

Kwame Brathwaite: Black Is Beautiful is worth its weight in Black gold.

artsy

Kwame Brathwaite’s Photographic Vision of a Black Female Utopia

The phrase “black is beautiful” became a part of the zeitgeist in the 1960s.

CNN Style

Kwame Brathwaite Powerful Photos

Capturing black creativity and expression in its purest and most candid of forms.

The cut

An Uptown Photographer Who Captured Harlem Life

Brathwaite's upcoming book, Black Is Beautiful, is pegged to the first major retrospective of his work.

Praise

"Brooklyn-born photographer Kwame Brathwaite spent his career working to elevate natural black beauty during a time when the fashion industry was resistant."

The Guardian

"Throughout the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Brathwaite photographed many famous black musicians, including Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley, as well as the Grandassa Models at numerous events. It was these photographs that propelled the movement into the mainstream – and that help us to understand now what was happening then."

BBC.com

"Through Brathwaite’s photos and with coverage in local black newspapers, the protest gave AJASS a larger platform to espouse ideas about black beauty."

Los Angeles Times

"The phrase ‘black is beautiful’ referred to a broad embrace of black culture and identity. It called for an appreciation of the black past as a worthy legacy, and it inspired cultural pride in contemporary black achievements."

forbes

Tanisha joins Deb Willis, Kwame S. Brathwaite (son of the famed photographer), and Marc Bamuthi Joseph in conversation at the Museum of the African Diaspora (San Francisco). They discuss Brathwaite's legacy, Black creative genius, and the museum's Black is Beautiful exhibition.