Unseen images

Through a Lens Darkly TV PBS America Scheduled for Wednesday 7 November

The portrayal of African-Americans in photography has at best told partial stories and even reinforced crude racial stereotypes. Yet, as this documentary looking at the role of photography in shaping African-American identity shows, other kinds of images have always existed, evidenced in the work of both amateur and professional black photographers – work that goes back to the very earliest days of the medium.

The film features many rarely seen images that show both how AfricanAmericans have seen themselves at different points in history and also how photography has been used as a tool to promote social change.