Ernest C. Withers

Ernest C. Withers (1922-2007) was a photojournalist who documented the making of history through his photos and was a participant of the Civil Rights Movement. Withers also wrote a book on Emmett Till's murder that helped motivate the push for equal rights. His nearness to the movement was not only physical but ideological as well. Withers was in the midst of all the action. He captured the quiet dignity of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the the violence. Withers was able to document the emotional event of awaiting Martin Luther King Jr. on one of the first desegregated buses in Montgomery. In 1968, Withers won the National News Association, Best Photographer of the Year Award.

This photograph captured the Memphis, Tennessee Sanitation Workers strike that was sparked by the violence the workers endured. The workers are all carrying signs reading, "I Am A Man." Like all of Withers' other photos, this photo encouraged prominent African Americans to become involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

Withers' photos embody the Civil Rights Movements because they captured the determination and power of the historical events fighting for equality.