Mobilize, Organize, Occupy
Three Moments of Bay Area Activism Through the Lens of Kenneth P. Green Sr.
Exhibition: July 9 – September 6, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, July 12, 1pm-3pm | Learn more…
Gallery Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-4pm
The galleries will be closed on Saturday, August 30 for Labor Day weekend.
Richmond Art Center, 2540 Barrett Avenue, Richmond, CA 94804
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Bay Area emerged as a powerful center of grassroots resistance, where vital political coalitions united to confront racial inequality and social injustice. During this time, Kenneth Green Sr., a young photographer and Laney College student, was honing his craft while actively engaging with the movements unfolding around him.
This exhibition highlights three moments from the Kenneth P. Green Sr. Photography Archive: a Black Panther rally in Richmond following the police killing of Denzil Dowell; the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Laney College’s March Against Repression; and the 19-month Occupation of Alcatraz asserting Indigenous land rights. Through his camera, Green documented these pivotal and interconnected events, plus many others, telling a story of self-determination and the ongoing fight for justice – when individuals across different communities mobilized, organized, and stood together.
About the Artist: A lifelong Bay Area resident, Kenneth P. Green Sr. was the first African American staff photographer for the Oakland Tribune, a position he held from 1968 until his untimely death in 1982 while on assignment. In just over a decade, Green captured some of the most significant social and political changes of his time. His photographs, some taken on the job as a photojournalist, others snapped as an observant bystander on the streets, not only document pivotal moments of sociopolitical importance, but also the quotidian moments of everyday life: candid portraits of local leaders, quiet exchanges between families, students, and neighbors, and the full range of people who participated in the daily work of social change.
The exhibition is curated by Kenneth P. Green Jr., the artist’s son, who manages the Kenneth P. Green Sr. Photographic Archive. In 2015, the Green family opened the archive to the public with the express purpose of preserving the rich history captured in these images and returning it to the community. More info: www.kennethpgreenphotography.
Richmond Art Center’s exhibitions are made possible with support from:
