Join Nexus: San Francisco/Bay Area Black Art Week, SFMOMA and MoAD for a film screening of BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY (Yemi Bamiro, 98 minutes, 2025), followed by a conversation with Kwame S. Brathwaite, Jr.

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This screening will be held at SFMOMA, located at 151 Third Street in San Francisco.

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Starting from Harlem in the 1950’s and working until his death in 2023, Kwame Brathwaite took half a million photos including many of “regular” people on the street but also thousands of intimate and unexpected photos of stars including Stevie Wonder, Muhammad Ali, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, and the Jackson Five.

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At a time when this was deemed radical, Kwame’s photos of Black communities and people focused on beauty and joy instead of trauma and conflict. Kwame also pioneered grassroots fashion shows that celebrated natural Black beauty, heralding a new dawn across the globe.

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Photographer to the greats, collaborator in African liberation movements and archivist of Harlem culture, Kwame Brathwaite’s impact on Black culture is undeniable but he was largely forgotten by history until his son uncovered his vast archive of photos. This documentary covers the incredible surge in popularity of Kwame's work since 2020 including being embraced by Rihanna and Beyonce. Alicia Keys, Jesse Williams, Gabrielle Union, and Tyler Mitchell speak emotionally and personally about discovering and championing Kwame's work in this documentary which finally gives Kwame Brathwaite (called “the soul” of the Black is Beautiful movement) his shine.

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BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL: THE KWAME BRATHWAITE STORY dares to present an uplifting, cinematic and bold story rooted in Blackness that will leave audiences feeling energized and inspired.

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About the Speaker

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Kwame S. Brathwaite, son of photographer Kwame Brathwaite, is the Director of the Kwame Brathwaite Archive, through which he manages his father’s photographic archive and collaborative projects that are concordant with the themes in his father’s work, namely activism, politics, fashion and music. Kwame Samori authored a chapter entitled “Fashion and Consciousness” in the book Mod New York: Fashion takes a Trip and has lectured at numerous institutions including the Museum of the City of New York, Cal State Fullerton and Harvard Art Museum. He co-curated Celebrity and the Everyday at Philip Martin Gallery along with Jesse Williams and curated Black is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite, a touring exhibition in partnership with Aperture Foundation.

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Kwame Samori, also a real estate professional, graduated from Amherst College in 1996 with a B.A. in Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought and an MBA from USC’s Marshall School of Business in 2018. He resides in Pasadena, CA with his wife and three children.

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This program is presented in conjunction with NEXUS: SF/Bay Area Black Art Week