'March On Manhattan': The Black Lives Matter Protests In A Photograph

'As a photographer, my weapon in combat is my camera. This moment in history is not just a moment for me, it is a movement deeply woven into my DNA. My ancestors were enslaved in this country, and it is my responsibility to fight. I fight on the front lines, and I educate my children. It is my responsibility to be present to document this moment, and to stand in solidarity with those who understand that change is a necessity.' Aria Isadora, June 2020

Following the murder of George Floyd on May 25th, 2020, New York-based photographer Aria Isadora set out to document the demonstrations which would reverberate worldwide. March on Manhattan, Brooklyn Bridge, June 4th 2020 captures a group of suited Black Americans from Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African American Men, as they march across the bridge. Crossing from one space to another, their movement symbolises the passing of time, a new future where Black Lives Matter. Raising their clenched right-hand fists towards Manhattan, Isadora's photograph evokes images of the 60s Civil Rights Movement, whilst the men's medical masks point to the present era of COVID-19. The image encapsulates cross-generational protest and pain in one urgent moment.

The David Hill Gallery and Carrie Scott are offering prints of the photograph, with 50% of the profits going to support Until Freedom, an intersectional social justice organisation, nominated by Isadora.

Available prints:

9.5 x 12 in. (24 x 30.5 cm) Baryta print, stamped with the artist's signature, in open, unlimited, edition at GBP £100, unframed.

16 x 20 in. (40 x 50 cm) silver gelatin exhibition print, signed by the artist and numbered, in an edition of twenty, each at £1,500, unframed.

Please contact david@davidhillgallery.net or carrie@carrie-scott.com to reserve your print or for additional information.

'The singing and chanting of the Alpha Phi Alpha carried us, moving something like five thousand people across the bridge from George Floyd’s memorial in Brooklyn over to Manhattan. In one moment, they stopped to recite Invictus by William Ernest Henley – a poem fundamentally about having courage in the face of death and keeping dignity, despite being treated unfairly. At this point it was a few days into the protests, and each day even more people turned out. Each day people were even louder than before. Each day we were more committed.' Aria Isadora