Handcuffed blacks were arrested for being in a white area illegally c. 1960

This image by Ernest Cole captures a moment in time using photography— a medium that is at once immediate and incredibly layered. Cole, as an artist, had to be so aware, composing a picture that speaks of something deeply unjust. Can you imagine his thought process, the emotional weight of what he was capturing? The composition, the contrast, the grain of the image all speaks to the tension and emotion of the time. I keep thinking about the angle, Cole's relationship to the subject, his bravery to take the shot. It resonates with other documentary photographers like Gordon Parks, who used the camera as a tool for social commentary. It's a heavy image, but it's also a reminder of the power of art to provoke conversation, incite change, and question the status quo.