A new exhibition, "A Language We Share," opens this month at the Center for Art and Advocacy, placing the work of photographer Beverly Price in direct conversation with the legendary Gordon Parks. The show highlights their shared focus on social advocacy through imagery, particularly documenting the lives of children and communities in areas like Southeast Anacostia in Washington D.C., a location both photographers have captured across different eras.
This dialogue matters because it traces a powerful lineage in socially engaged photography, connecting Parks’ mid-20th century civil rights work with Price’s contemporary practice. The exhibition underscores how the camera remains a vital tool for bearing witness and advocating for marginalized communities, demonstrating that the concerns around poverty, justice, and childhood resilience are enduring, yet evolving, conversations in American life.