David Johnson, "Golden Decade:1945-55" & Civil Rights Photographer....and Keeping On..

David & Jacqueline Johnson, [photo by: O. Ayorinde]

Few can forget, when Snoop Dog at the, Source Awards, in New York [1995], stepped to the mic and asked the rhetorical question, “what, the east coast ain’t got no love for Dr. Dre & Snoop Dog?, you mean to tell me the east coast ain’t got no love for Dr Dre & Snoop Dog….”  The 3,000 mile divide from east coast to west coast, was and still, can be put to, “audience response.”

Well, fast forward to Rochester, New York, the city that houses the George Eastman International Museum of Photography; the headquarters of, Kodak which once controlled the lion share of the world market for most things photographic and Rochester Institute of Technology, the premier teaching facility dispensing the technology needed to support such an industry.  There was a buzz that enshrouded the city, when the, Community Darkroom announced, they were bringing [almost completely unknown….on the east coast], African American, photographer, David Johnson from, San Francisco. So, the resounding question became, “who is David Johnson and would the east coast show him any love?”

Inquiring minds, quickly found out by, “Googling” mostly, that David Johnson is an 84 years old, African American photographer, born in Jacksonville Florida, raised by an aunt, eventually found his way to the, “Fillmore District of, San Francisco and was the first, African American photography student of, Ansel Adams. In the history of photography, few names command such lofty notice, than that of Ansel Adams, especially in this, hallowed photographic city.

Let’s set the stage, if one goes to Detroit, one anticipates the history making of cars and the famed, “Motown sound,” it is part of the defining identity and ethos of that city. Conversely, Rochester, represents the, “holly grail” for all things photographic, including, the knowledge of the history of photography, since, the first permanent photograph in 1826 by the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, the introduction of the, “daguerreotype” by, Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre, 1839, the photographic records of the expeditions that opened the west [including, San Francisco] and the history of those many initial visionary photographers who brought this form from obscurity to the current recognized art form that we share today, this is what we do in, Rochester, New York.

So, the question, “who is this David Johnson,” was answered by, David Johnson, himself while attending the, “Little Theatre” [art theatre complex] and the screening [and Q&A] of, a film depicting his life entitled, “Positive Negative,” directed by Mindy Steiner,” finally we would have our answer, “would the east coast show some love to this African American photographer from San Francisco, being brought to Rochester by the, “Community Darkroom .“

The room was darkened, the screen flickered, I held my breath, there was a kind of a thick anticipation wafting in the theatre, I sat transfixed. What began with an emulated slide show on film, with a sound track to die for will remain embedded in most peoples minds for years to come, be they black, white or in between, there before us, our history sensitively revealed, photographed and preserved documents of times past, starting in what has become to be known as the, “Golden Decade” [1945-55]. David, being interviewed in the film, was “dropping it,” in a continuous stream. This 84 year old, going on 50, was smooth, articulate, precise in his recollections and his generosity, recollected to a fault. He spoke of the early migration of, “Negroes,”[a politically correct term of that era] from Arkansas, Mississippi, filtering into what was known as the, “Fillmore District” a portion of San Francisco vacated housing, resulting from the interment of Japanese people during, World War II [another ugly chapter of this country’s history]. Consistent, with what we now know of most early cities and towns receiving an influx of African Americans or, “Negroes” in those times, these towns began to flourish with black culture, small businesses and the history of the, “free blacks” was being written through these replicated living patterns and David was there, with his camera, documenting, “thank you,” David.

The silver screen was now popping and the period music of the, “juke joints” had many in the audience, totally uncharacteristic of Rochester audiences [both black & white and in between] screeching, “Whoa! Heeye, Alright Now,” [y’all know how we can do, when we do it]. This writer, with a personal photographic history background remained transfixed, watching everyday early black people in San Fran, going about their daily doings, the barbershops, people strolling and girls playing, “hop-scotch” and of course, David’s photographs of legends like, Nat King Cole, Eartha Kit, A. Philip Randolph, W. E. B. Du Bois, Aaron Thibadeaux “T-Bone” Walker, Langston Hughes, Jackie Robinson and many others, I didn’t want to blink.

These were not just documents, which would have been enough for some but David, after all was the first, African American photography student of Ansel Adams [see, “El Capitan, Yellowstone”], Minor White [zone system] was his printing mentor and Edward Weston, was the lead instructor, when David attended the, California School of Fine Arts [see, “Golden Decade]. This writer observed the master printing technique, the modulation of light found on black skin of images like that of Nat King Cole, the careful attention to, “detail in the black areas” and more importantly, the exquisite handling of the diversity of “black skin”” tones, avoiding that, “shiny” look often the results of images photographed during high contrast conditions or during that time, most often with flash. In addition, many people may have been unaware they were viewing original images that were archival printed, some more than 60 years old.

David enlisted in the Navy when he was about 16 and upon his return at the age of 19, would eventually begin to make his way westward by segregated train to attend the, California School of Fine Arts, headed by, Ansel Adams, who actually allowed David to live in his house for quite some time. David Johnson, found himself alongside of, historic photographic icons who were admittedly, unknown to David at the time, photographers like, Dorthea Lange, Lizette Modell, Homer Page, Imogen Cunningham and the list goes on and on [this is storybook stuff]. Most, in this group would be featured in the, “Family of Man” exhibition, which represents a cornerstone in the history of photography that would follow.

Life evolves and David Johnson’s career was no different. He was encouraged by Edward Howden, director of the, “Council for Civic Unity,” a community organization working towards integration [1940-1960], to focus his lens on the, “slum” housing of the, “Fillmore District.” Howden assisted David in acquiring a position of, staff reporter, with a local newspaper, the, “Sun-Reporter.” The decline of Fillmore, the eventual bulldozing, razing and the actual reclamation through gentification, this time, by the Chinese provided the backdrop and window of opportunity which, David Johnson’s work captures. Thus we get the jazz and club scenes of the 40’s, people simply hanging out and the evidence of a community bygone. However, it could easily be argued that David Johnsons defining work is seen throughout the annals of the Civil Right marches and figures.

During the Q&A, a question was asked of David, in retrospect, having seen these astounding images compiling his work, how would he compare what he sees today. Almost, without skipping a beat, he answered, “what happened to the Negro?” Another question/comment worth noting was one asking him about his visit to the George Eastman International Museum of Photography, which had offered to give him a behind the scene tour and the opportunity to view a photographer[s] of choice. Well, as the account goes, the staff had great difficulty locating the works of photographers of color. However, equally interesting was David Johnson’s quiet response, stating that we need not assign all the responsibility, in this case, to  the George Eastman International Museum of Photography, leaving us with the inference that the IMP and other repositories must be engaged and encouraged by the people themselves to house a truthful and representative collection.

David Johnson and his wife, Jacqueline, traveled here together for what amounted to two full days of an itinerary that a 21 year old person would have found demanding, because so many wanted a piece of this living history and to the credit of Rochester, they received a pretty, “red carpet” treatment, wherever they toured. The day after the screening of his film, “Community Darkroom” opened an exhibition of at least 30 plus original and exquisite prints of; David’s and a party featuring live jazz music [Paradigm Shift], dancing which was reminiscent of some of the club scenes found in David’s images, only this time it was David on the center floor dancing and Rochester was rocking.

David Johnson, is in fact, a national treasure and is, no doubt the best preserved living artifact of a gloried period he lived and is still living. Time has passed but he remains, quietly humble, incredibly energetic and if we can grant, “griot” status to any in our culture, let me be the first to suggest the petition. It is impossible to do justice via a short article reflecting, 60 + years of steady contributions made to our lives and for that, apologies to David Johnson. So the once ambiguous question, “who is, David Johnson, would the east coast show him any love,” has and is being met with a continuous outpouring of love and gratitude and for his traveling from the west coast and by way of special and personal delivery of our continued “shared” history, with an emphasis on the African American diaspora. It remains amazing under the shade of the umbrella of such big institutions this article has noted, that a small, community organization, “the Community Darkroom” [with support from Luminiere] has done such a very large thing, we got nothing but love for, David Johnson.

On a parting note, this writer asserts, many people of color under estimate the role the black photographer has played in our history, usually relegating them to, pretty picture takers and this is okay. However, some thought should be given to viewing visionaries such as, James Van Der Zee [Harlem Renaissance], PH Polk [Alabama], Gordon Parks [Farm Administration, “dust bowl”], Roy De Carava [Harlem], the Sherlock Brothers [Washington, DC.] as writer/reporters, early historians and recorders of our history, sometimes not vocal but never quieted as the camera has left us these indelible documents.

Ayorinde

Omobowale Ayorinde, MFA [Fine Art Photography], a noted photographer, is a graduate of, Rochester Institute of Technology and has taught there the last 31 years.