Rarely-seen photos of key Black history moments made free for first time

Nadine White
·2 min read
American engineer and astronaut Mae Jemison works in zero gravity in the centre aisle of the Spacelab Japan (SLJ) science module aboard OV-105, the Space Shuttle Endeavour, during NASA's STS-47 mission, 20th September 1992 (Getty Images)
American engineer and astronaut Mae Jemison works in zero gravity in the centre aisle of the Spacelab Japan (SLJ) science module aboard OV-105, the Space Shuttle Endeavour, during NASA's STS-47 mission, 20th September 1992 (Getty Images)

Rarely-seen photographs of key moments in Black history will be made available for free for the first time by Getty Images.

The collection, Black History & Culture Collection (BHCC), aims to grant access to images from the US and UK to educators, academics, researchers, and content creators, enabling them to tell untold stories about Black history and culture.

Available for projects focused on education around the histories and cultures of the African/Black Diaspora, the archives dating back to the 1800s and consist of tens of thousands of images.

For many Black content creators, historians and activists, access to archival images has always been inaccessible due to costly expenses attached to the material.

Getty, which holds over 477 million images in its bank, has teamed up with a number of UK non-profit organisations to help amplify their work by providing them with some of this content including the Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT), a commemorative plaque and sculpture scheme that highlights the historic contributions of Black people in Britain.

“The imagery helps brings to life the personalities that we are celebrating as part of our common heritage,” the trust’s founder Jak Beula told The Independent. “It’s outstanding and we look forward to bringing to the fore some of these images through more plaques across the UK.”

A scientist examines a sample with a microscope London, UK, 1948. (Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A scientist examines a sample with a microscope London, UK, 1948. (Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Diane Abbott, shadow home secretary delivers her speech on day three of the Labour Party Conference on September 25, 2018 in Liverpool, England (Getty Images)
Diane Abbott, shadow home secretary delivers her speech on day three of the Labour Party Conference on September 25, 2018 in Liverpool, England (Getty Images)
Police constables with festival goers at Notting Hill Carnival, London, UK, 29th August 1983 (Getty Images)
Police constables with festival goers at Notting Hill Carnival, London, UK, 29th August 1983 (Getty Images)

“Getty Images is committed to making this historical content accessible to ensure a more authentic representation of world history and drive more meaningful dialogue,” said Cassandra Illidge, vice president of partnerships at Getty Images.

“This collection was curated in partnership with a roster of prestigious historians and educators with the goal of providing unfettered access to historical and contemporary imagery which will help content creators who have been seeking an inclusive visualisation of history.”

“This resource is quite fantastic. There is no other such resource with 30,000 images going back over 100 years covering so vast an area of Black History,” Tony Warner, Black History Walks (UK) said.

Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement League, sails here from Montreal on the Duchess of Atholl, bound for England. He had attended a League Convention in Toronto. Garvey formerly lived in the US, but had left 10 years ago. His headquarters was then in London where he published The Black Man, a magazine (Bettmann Archive)
Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement League, sails here from Montreal on the Duchess of Atholl, bound for England. He had attended a League Convention in Toronto. Garvey formerly lived in the US, but had left 10 years ago. His headquarters was then in London where he published The Black Man, a magazine (Bettmann Archive)
9th February 1962: L to r Sir William Alexander Bustamante (1884 - 1977) head of the Jamaican Opposition party, Hugh Frazer of the Colonial office, Colonial Secretary, Reginald Maudling (1917 - 1979) and President of Jamaica, Norman Manley (1893 - 1969) join hands in a gesture of solidarity after the final session of the Jamaica Independence Conference held at Lancaster House, London. Independence day was to be 6th August (John Franks/Keystone/Getty Images)

Pamela Franklin, of Caribbean Social Forum in the UK said: “The Black History & Culture Collection is paramount to the continuous development of our dementia flashcards that we use to generate conversations between members, family and friends who are at the early stages of dementia.

“The Caribbean consists of 28+ islands all with their own personality therefore the resources include not only generic information but facts that are unique to each Island. We included images of flags, food, music, household items that related to the Caribbean and images from their time in the United Kingdom.

“Getty Images opened up wider opportunities to include experiences that the Windrush generation faced, such as the political scene, community spaces, living and working conditions and news items.”

A man wearing clothing walking down a street in London on the day of the Gay Pride march, 26th June 1995 (Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
A man wearing clothing walking down a street in London on the day of the Gay Pride march, 26th June 1995 (Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Rita Marley, Bob Marley's widow, talks to fans before signing copies of her new book
Rita Marley, Bob Marley's widow, talks to fans before signing copies of her new book