Graduation Day

Born in Harlem, photographer Roy DeCarava captured images of what Black life was like in the 1940s and 50s. Coming of age during the Harlem Renaissance, DeCarava’s black and white photographs captured varied topics such as the Civil Rights Movement, Black musicians of the New York jazz scene, and everyday life in Harlem such as in Graduation Day. He is often credited for bringing much needed photographic attention to the Black experience in America.