Wednesday 25 February 2015

Narrative images: Taking a stroll in Salisbury in 1964

Don Sturkey used to work as a photographer for The Charlotte Observer for about forty years. When he joined the newspaper in 1955, Charlotte was segregated. Restaurants started integrating in 1963, schools in the 1970s (via).
"The old saying, ‘A picture’s worth a thousand words,’ it’s not true. Sometimes, a picture’s worth a million words. You can actually see the emotions and see the tragedy and see the violence.” Don Sturkey
Below: "Two young black men pass Ku Klux Klan marchers in downtown Salisbury, August 1964. The Klan was active in North Carolina, and Sturkey covered many of their demonstrations." (via)



"Sturkey prided himself on capturing the emotion of the moment."
Bob Anthony, curator

Below: A family walking through the centre of Salisbury following a Ku Klux Klan rally. This photograph was taken by Don Sturkey in 1964, too.



photos by Don Sturkey (1964) via and via

6 comments:

  1. Creepy and not so long ago, indeed. The images feel much more distant than 1964...
    Thanks Derek, Karen, Kenneth!

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  2. I grew up in the Salisbury area. I remember going to town on Saturday and seeing theses klansmen on horse we would wave at them thinking it was a parade. Our parents never talked to us about Hateful people, that is something my sisters and brothers learned on our own. Salisbury was rascist then and it’s still that way in 2022. I’ve left that town now but the rest of the world is just as bad. We’ve come along way but have along way to go. I’m 67 years old today and I pray oneday everyone will realize they are the same, yet different. Love one another.

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    1. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences and thoughts. And, yes, oh yes, let's hope one day everyone will realise: same but different, different but same. We certainly still have a long way to go... Wish you all the best!

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