Photographer Chester Higgins in conversation with filmmaker Haile Gerima

For immediate release

Contact: Jada F. Smith - 832-656-2654

Renowned photographer Chester Higgins discusses the role of imagery in bridging the gap between Africa and its Diaspora with filmmaker Haile Gerima

Chester Higgins photographed Maya Angelou in what is now an iconic moment of grace and joy. He captured a profile of Haile Selassie at an Organization for African Unity meeting in 1978. In Haiti, he portrayed young men weaving extravagant hand baskets, and in Brazil, a Candomble priestess dressed fully in white.  Each of his striking photos -- primarily of Africans around the world -- serve a higher purpose of giving visual definition to an experience had by the soul. On Saturday, January 28, 2017 at 6:30 p.m., Mr. Higgins will discuss the role of imagery in bridging the gap between Africa and its Diaspora with renowned filmmaker and owner of Sankofa, Haile Gerima.

Chester Higgins is an artist, photographer, public speaker and retired staff photographer for The New York Times. He studied photography under P.H. Polk at Tuskegee University and was mentored in art under Romare Bearden. Mr. Higgins’s five decades of work has culminated in renowned exhibitions worldwide and numerous books.

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Named after the internationally acclaimed film called SANKOFA (produced by the founders), Sankofa Video, Books & Café carries with it an expectation of quality and discovery. Founded in 1998 by filmmaking couple, Haile and Shirikiana Gerima, Sankofa Video and Books specializes in videos and books about people of African descent around the world.