Rare MLK photos displayed in Union

By Travis Bourassa

Posted on Oct. 23, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

Photo by Charles Moore

Charles Moore's photographs of the civil rights era will be on display at Memorial Union.

Starting on Oct. 27, University of Maine students in Memorial Union will have the chance to view a rare set of photos depicting the struggle faced by demonstrators during the American civil rights movement.

The display will coincide with the grand opening and dedication of the Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Plaza behind the union on Oct. 31.

The photographs were taken by Charles Moore, and the collection is titled “Pictures that Made a Difference: The Civil Rights Movement.” Moore gained renown as a photographer by capturing major events of the civil rights movement in Alabama, Mississippi and North Carolina during the 1960s. Included are images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s arrest in Birmingham, conflicts between protesters and law enforcement and the five-day civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala.

Vice President for Student Affairs Robert Dana was a member of the planning committee for the memorial. He said the photo display will help students realize why the plaza is necessary. “The photos are a tangible element of the complexities in the civil rights era,” Dana said.

Congress addressed Moore’s photographs while considering the Civil Rights Act of 1964. “These are the images that brought it home,” Professor Bill Kuykendall of the new media department said.

Kodak presented the first Kodak Crystal Eagle Award for Impact in Photojournalism to Moore in 1989. “He is one of the most significant photographers of the twentieth century,” Kuykendall said.

Kuykendall is lending the photos from his personal collection, which is one of 25 sets printed by Kodak from Moore’s original negatives.

Gustavo Burkett, director of Campus Activities and Events, is overseeing the display. “The photos are very thought provoking,” Burkett said. He is excited that students in The Memorial Union will have a chance to see what the civil rights movement looked like.

Kuykendall feels that the display will allow students to view the civil rights movement as more than just a history lesson. “The thing about photography is that it makes names and dates immediate,” Kuykendall said. “You can almost be transported back to that time.

“It’s not just a story of the ’60s; it’s a story that goes back for hundreds of years in this country.”

The photos will be on display in the Spirit Room of Memorial Union from Oct. 27 to Nov. 7 and in the Bangor Room on Oct. 31.

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