“Black is Beautiful” became a household phrase beginning
in the 1960s, yet the roots of this powerful sentiment were in photography. As
a branch of the artist collective the African Jazz Art Society and Studios
(AJASS), the photographer Kwame Brathwaite and his brother Elombe Brath founded
Grandassa Models in 1966. Their roster of male and female models
encompassed different shades of skin and natural hair types. According to the New York Times arts
writer Melissa Smith, “Black power’s effectiveness as a political slogan owes a
debt to how Mr. Brathwaite showcased his subjects.”