In Honor of Juneteenth, This Photography Initiative Is Supporting Black Storytelling Through Images

If you’re looking for some new photography to spruce up your space and are hoping to support Black artists and creatives, you’re in luck. See In Black, a coalition of Black photographers, is donating a selection of more than 70 images for a print sale in honor of Juneteenth, with all proceeds going towards organizations supporting the Black community.

Inspired by the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, David McAtee, Tony McDade, and other Black people at the hands of law enforcement, See In Black founders and photographers Micaiah Carter and Joshua Kissi wanted to use art as a way to “dismantle white supremacy and systematic oppression,” as they wrote on their website. “Historically, Black people have been on the receiving end of the camera lens as the subject matter. The gaze by which we were viewed was not ours. Now, it’s vital that we are narrators of how our stories are told and how we’re seen,” they added.

“We are artists and archivists. We do not merely make images of Black figures—we document history that is often unrecorded with intentionality, respect, nuance, and care. We serve as a platform for Black people to stand proudly in their permanence,” they shared in a press release announcing the initiative.

The two-week sale begins on Friday, June 19, and ends on Friday, July 3, as a way to celebrate Juneteenth, the national commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States—though activists across the country are still working towards racial and social justice for Black Americans. See In Black is partnering with Artifact Uprising to use the company’s “professional-grade giclée print process with rich, true-to-life color on archival fine art paper,” so these prints truly pop on your walls.

Each print will cost $100 plus applicable tax and shipping charges. Available in large-format print size (11×14), Artifact Uprising will also be offering a 20 percent discount on a frame to go with your purchase. 100 percent of profits from the sale will support “five key pillars of Black advancement,” per an announcement of the initiative: civil rights, education/arts, intersectionality, community building, and criminal justice reform. “Purchasing one of these images helps support a larger mission to combat a system of oppression that disproportionately affects Black Americans,” the founders shared.

The organizations that will receive the proceeds are Know Your Rights Camp, the Youth Empowerment Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, the Black Futures Lab, and The Bail Project. All print options will be available on the See In Black site on Friday, June 19.