Leandre Jackson photographs of Black student life at Swarthmore College

Leandre Jackson, a professional photographer, graduated from Swarthmore College in 1975 and served as Director of Swarthmore's Black Cultural Center 1975-1977 (full time from 1975-1976 and part time from 1976-1977. This collection consist of photographs taken by Leandre Jackson and displayed in a February 2015 exhibition at the Swarthmore College Library entitled "Proof of Black Life."

Introduction to the Exhibition, by Allison Dorsey, Professor of History at Swarthmore College: “It was as if blacks were invisible”—Swarthmore Alumna. Proof of life makes the “invisible” visible and bears witness to black student life at Swarthmore College beyond the 1968-1972 black student protests. Jackson’s photographs stand as evidence of the rich community life black students created for themselves. These images capture black students engaged in the academic, social, and sport life of the College. The photographs also reveal intimate moments of connections among black students as they studied together, ate together, created dance and music together. These photographs were selected from a vast collection of images for their historic value, their beauty, and their warmth. Together, the exhibit reframes the conversation about the past. It was not so much that black students were invisible as it was that many others at the college experienced a failure of sight."