Tree Shaker :: MediaVision USA

Hundreds of thousands of people risked their lives as foot soldiers in the civil rights movement. Thousands were jailed, beaten, shot, and some were killed.

Iconic young leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Ella Baker, Rosa Parks, Fannie Lou Hamer, Anne Braden, Julian Bond, John Lewis, C.T. Vivian, Andrew Young, and legions of other lesser known leaders fueled the spirits of thousands to challenge state-sanctioned terror that blanketed the South until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed into law, followed by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Extraordinary leadership and fearless grassroots citizens drove the issue of civil rights into living rooms across America, the halls of Congress, and the White House. But the tipping point in the political climate of 1964 came from a steady stream of photographic and television images.

Searing images of police dogs attacking defenseless children, state troopers on horses trampling and beating nonviolent demonstrators, greyhound buses billowing smoke from firebombing, four little girls killed by a bomb while attending church, and many other images of horror and courage told a powerful story for America and the world.

The civil rights leaders of that era were not professionals in “staging,” but photojournalists, television camera crews, and amateur photographers understood the power of images.

To be sure, “staging” was unnecessary; it was rooted in the authenticity of the events themselves.

The eloquent words and actions of the civil rights soldiers spoke for themselves in real time, but the images captured for eternity an unfolding drama of human dignity in the face of terror and racism.

Those ghosts from the past have returned. The High Museum in Atlanta (http://www.high.org/main.taf?p=3,1,1,5,1) has open a long overdue exhibit, “Road to Freedom: Photographs of the Civil Rights Movement 1956-1968,” and those photographs still display the power of image for transformation. The New York Times also has a brief sampling and slide show of the exhibit at http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/20/us/20080620CIVIL_index.html

Fast forward to May 2003 for another exquisite illustration of the power of image: President George W. Bush, all dressed up in a pilot suit, standing on the deck of an aircraft carrier with a backdrop banner declaring the invasion of Iraq, “Mission Accomplished.” Perfect staging. A flawless image of a tagline that conveyed the intended message and cemented public support for the war.

But, as we now know, after thousands of deaths and injuries, and billions of dollars in lost treasure, that hasn’t worked out so well. Authenticity might be key here–you think? Loss of credibility can reduce the most powerful image to a ridiculous caricature.

The civil rights movement painted the canvas of history with truth and courage. The Bush White House skillfully used modern tools of marketing and staging, but will be remembered as a house of propaganda where the gimmicks of deception were deployed to smother the truth.

As it turns out, Conventional Wisdom which promises you can sell anything is no longer conventional or wise.

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