Educational Media Reviews Online

Sometimes a person’s entire life is merely the prologue to an even more fascinating legacy.

Ernest C. Withers was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. After serving in the military, he returned home and became one of the city’s first African American police officers. Soon after, his longstanding interest in photography flourished into a full-time profession. Over the next six decades he was a ubiquitous presence, capturing a wide range of subject matter, from everyday events like local weddings and funerals, to emerging blues musicians and Negro league baseball players, to historic incidents in the Civil Rights movement like the Emmett Till murder trial (1955), the Tent City encampment (1960-1962), and the Beale Street riots that erupted during Martin Luther King’s final march in Memphis (1968).

Withers died in 2007 at age 85, a cherished advocate of the community, leaving behind an estimated 1.8 million images chronicling the African American experience. Then, a few years later, the FBI released documentation confirming he had been a paid informant. This shocking revelation suddenly called into question his motives, actions, and loyalties over many years.

Withers’ intriguing story will not only encourage critical discussions around the history of race relations in America and the power of photojournalism but will likely inspirit more philosophical debates. What are all the different roles we assume as individuals during our lifetime? How do we reconcile our obligations with the difficult choices we must sometimes make? And who may ultimately have to face the consequences of the secrets we choose to keep?

Awards:
Finalist, Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film; Opening Night Film, Memphis Film Festival

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