Portland observer., January 27, 1972, Image 9

Observer’s Periscope
Portland/Observer
■Section A Supplement
Thursday, January 27, 1972
Photographer’s first book
portrays 'Black Woman
Chester Higgins, J r , is a
young black man. He Is young
in the most dynamic sense of
that word — alternately vol­
uble and reflective, confident
•nd questioning, playful and
serious. And 1« is black in
tl« finest sense of that word
—undefenslvely
proud, un­
mistakably sincere, unabash­
edly outspoken in discussing
the qualities he values in the
women of his race.
" I acknowledge the fact that
there Is a kind of beauty
that white Western man sees
in his woman. 1 also acknow­
ledge the fact that there is
a standard of beauty that black
men see in th e ir women,
these standards of beauty are
in their own waysdlfferentand
have no need to be defensive
of each other.
There Is a
certain kind of beauty In black
women that appeals to black
«yes. That beauty Is a func­
tion of our liv in g .”
During his Alabama boy­
hood, says Higgins, he came
to appreciate "th e joy of liv ­
ing among black people, the
love, die s e n s itiv ity ." Three
years ago while studying at
Tuskegee Institute, he discov­
ered photography, and found it
offered him a way of sharing
with others his strong sense
of "th e inheientgracefulness,
beauty, pride in being black."
Eighty of his photographs
taken in Harlem and through­
out the South and portraying
the many faces and lifestyles
of "B la c k Woman,” aie pub­
lis h » ! by the McCall Book D iv­
ision in both hard and soft
f irs t O ffice r F re d e rick P itcher m command of a W
covet editions. The accom­
estern jet
panying text, combining a bi lef
introductoiy essaywithcandid
quotes from the women them­
selves, was w ritten by Harold
McDougall, a student at Vale
Law School and magna cum
laude gradute of H arvard.
The two men spent some
tim e
last
summer going
around Harlem, taking pic­
tures, asking questions, hold­
ing smalldiscussion sessions.
"B oth of us learned a hell of
a
lo t,”
comments
M r.
M a n y new types of employment are opening up fo r B I a c k s
McDougall.
The questions
through Equal Opportunity programs. T h r o u g h onesuchpro-
they asked — about identity,
mon- Zmm
* “ h “ “ a iriin « comPan» s has become com­
love, ch ild ie n , strength, re­
mon. common, that is, in the availability of jobs, not in the tvoe
spect, beauty — brought forth
of work done or the unique advantages offered
many responses they fou.id
of ferwStbiaffk 7 r |Fr<K!erKk PitChCr ° f Western A lr,ln « « one
"enlightening. Indeed, libera­
few blacks who command their own jets. As s u c h he five
ting” and that "made us
a maximum of fo rty hour, per month in Western’ s " W o ’r H ” of
change our
thinking dras­
fo rty -s ix states. Canada and Mexico.
tic a lly .”
.stewan.less Janice D arling also flie s in this are , but that is
I he women featured in Hig­
gins’ photographs range from
selves 7 7 ,
"
CertaU1 numbe‘ o ffre e F*5* 5 for ther -
young m ilita n ts to the unde­
selves and their immediate fam ily during a v e .r. V a - a i i
feated old women of the South,
possibilities fo r them are almost unlimited.
but a ll, he feels, "a re of a
new breed - Black Breed.”
The term signifies to him that
each women
- " la c i a l !’ ; ;.le
in being black ind hum in we
In neing a woman.”
Higgins tried to e tc his
subject in candid situ..:
,
believing that's the test w iv
to find "W fiat's really th e re ."
He thinks there is a great
m arket fo r "th e kind of con-
Black pilot flies
with Western
I
positive
neede '
fre i that fm not
m o ie , I leel , les­
i l e . ue, hopeless, alone.
woman lik e s lo (eel alone.”
statement.'
at tire Corco: an Ca
A rt in Washington, L
the George Washmgtoi larve
Museum at Tuskegee.
In his introduction to "B lue
(L ie ,
V
f