EDITOR'S PICK

PHOTO © FRANCOIS BONNEAU

History and Humanity

By Jacqueline Tobin

This portrait of Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely—community mayor of Harlem, Goodwill Ambassador to Africa, founder of New Future Foundation—stood out to me while I was doing portfolio reviews at ASMP in Manhattan last November. It captures, says the photographer, Francois Bonneau, just one aspect of the Queen Mother’s multifaceted life.

“I photographed this after she had held a press conference to protect affordable housing and bring attention to predatory lenders and mortgage fraud especially preying on the elderly in neighborhoods undergoing gentrification in New York City,” Bonneau explains.

The property shown here is a mixed residential and commercial building located in the heart of Harlem, in Hamilton Heights, on 142nd Street. “It has been nearly 37 years since Queen Mother salvaged the abandoned property from the City of New York Housing Preservation and Development to serve women and children in need of affordable housing,” says Bonneau. What I find most engaging here is the subtleness of the background juxtaposed with the vibrant pops of color in the African attire worn by the subject. For Bonneau, the background of the receding row of buildings provides the foundation of the photo, both in structure and history.

“The foreground with Queen Mother guarding her domain embodies authority, power, compassion. She is the queen of human rights, standing for the protection, dignity and respect of African-Americans, the community of Harlem, the African diaspora, and all who have been subjugated or oppressed.”

(Photographed with a Canon 5D Mark III, 24-70mm f/2.8, Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT and color filter on flash.)