Colored. Negro. African American. Black.

These titles bring various thoughts, feelings, fears, and triumphs to mind when said. Yet the one thing that is consistent in all of them is that they describe an ethnicity of people that have been through “the ringer” if you will. Black people have been some of the most used and abused people in the world over the last 400+ years. This is not to say their journey has been harder or easier than others that have been oppressed but, in this moment the plight of Black people continues to rise to the forefront.

In recent years the visual representation of Black men and women has been demonized and dejected. Black people have been made to be seen as the stereotypical “bad guy”. Out to harm, kill, and destroy. However this is truly far from reality.

 So we as a photography organization wanted to take a moment to show what the REAL Black community looks like. Beautiful people with brilliant minds that better reflect what is the black reality.

Black stories are often told only after a great achievement or a tragic loss but not often in between. So join us on this journey through a visual story of some extraordinary black people in and around the Columbus, OH metro area.

CLICK HERE

OLV Photo #Blackexcellence