For the past 28 days of Black History Month, photographer Eunique Jones Gibson has put up a photo poster a day of an African American child posed as an historic figure–from Martin Luther King, Jr., to Malcolm X to Frederick Douglass to Barack Obama to Muhammad Ali. Of course we at the Ms. Blog are particularly interested in women’s history, so we’re delighted to see she included such current and historic figures as Angela Davis, Kerry Washington, the Williams sisters, Mary McLeod Bethune, Josephine Baker, Harriet Tubman, Oprah, Condoleeza Rice, Iman, Madame C.J. Walker, Shirley Chisholm, Michelle Obama, Whoopi Goldberg and Rosa Parks.
The photos aren’t just incredibly darling (how cute are those kids!), but they make a powerful statement: Each poster includes a quote from the person being represented and is titled “Because of Her [Him, Them], I Can … ” Imagine children looking at these photos, reading the quote, and then filling in the blank after “I Can” with “I can run my own business, I can be a tennis champion, I can protest inequity, I can dance … I can do anything!”
Jones Gibson is selling individual posters on her website as well as a calendar featuring the photos. Black History Month officially ends today, but there’s no reason the accomplishments of remarkable African Americans can’t be celebrated every day of the year.
Photos courtesy of Eunique Jones Photography