Jerry Taliaferro - Women Of A New Tribe

WOMEN OF A NEW TRIBE

A Photographic Celebration Of The Black Woman By Jerry Taliaferro

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any forms or means, electronic or mechanical. including photocopying or record, or by information retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright holders, except for short passages by reviewers.
Printed in Korea
First Printing 2007
ISBN: 978-0-9797309-0-0
For information on the traveling exhibition WOMEN OF A NEW TRIBE, contact Jerry Taliaferro Photography, P.O. Box 790285, Charlotte, NC 28206 Telephone: 704.372.2772 Email: newtribe8@cs.com

All photographs in this publication 2007 Jerry Taliaferro
Foreword 1 2007 Charlene Price-Patterson
Foreword 2 2007 Cheryl A. Waymer
Foreword 3 2007 Carolyn A. Mints
Foreword 4 2007 Rose C. Harris Front Cover (Jacket): Mask, Evetina H.

CONTENTS

Foreword 5
This Journey 9
Faces 14
Forms 68
Tribal Beauty 98
Mothers, Wives, Sisters and Daughters 148
The Autumn Of Beauty 182
What Manner Of Woman? 200
The Photographer 204
Acknowledgments 205
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FOREWORDS

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works And that my soul knows very well. (Psalm 139:14 NIV Study Bible )
Thoughts From Four Women

Charlene Price-Patterson
As an African-American woman I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. God created all of us in his image, using different sizes, shapes and complexions. We have different gifts, talents, beauty and character. I believe that along with the Holy Spiritwe have an inherited strength and inner beauty from our ancestors which enable us to accomplish great things. For centuries we have proven that all things are possible through Christ who strengthens me.

The work of Jerry Taliaferro exemplifies the absolute beauty, strength, power and grace of African-American women. God is using him to tell our story.

Carolyn A. Mints
I have always viewed Black women as striking pillars of strength. I was blessed to have a mother, grandmothers and aunts who served as examples of magnificent outer beauty. My mother always told me to hold my head up because I should be proud of myself. Still the core of their examples and teachings was the lesson that true beauty is what one finds in a persons inner soul. Jerry Taliaferro captures the essence of Black women, their inner and outer beauty, their strength and their spirit. He has produced an imaginative photographic body of work that captures women who exude character, love and perseverance.

As Black women we nestle the next generations of leaders in our bosoms therefore we must hold our heads up to remind ourselves from whence cometh our help. Individually we are vibrant, strong and determined and collectively we are powerful, dynamic and unstoppable.

I am who I am and I am that I am because of whose I am and I am wonderfully made.

Cheryl A. Waymer
God created, among other things, each and every person on earth and He creates us exactly the way He wants each of us to look. They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder; however, I believe that only applies to mans creations. I believe when it comes to Gods creations everything He made is not only beautiful but also has purpose.

Mr. Taliaferro could have used his infinite talents to focus on any one of Gods many beautiful creations; however he has chosen to focus this book on a celebration of the beauty of the black female form. African-American females have had a very difficult history: from slavery to racism to poverty. Although slavery has been abolished in this country, and we are working on eradicating racism and poverty, in the twenty-first century, African-American females face one of the most difficult hurdles we have ever had to face: a severe lack of self-respect. We have allowed the media to make us believe that we must have straight hair, light skin, thin bodies and European features to be considered beautiful.

This book is not only an opportunity to reaffirm to all black women that we are fearfully and wonderfully made by God, but also an opportunity for everyone to see the emotions and beauty Mr. Taliaferro wrought through his camera lens. As you study the pages of this wonderful work of art look for the pictures denoting the peace of God, look for the pictures denoting the wonder of God, look for the pictures denoting the awesomeness of God. In other words, as you discover the beauty within these pages look for Gods message to you.

Rose C. Harris
I am a three part woman; spirit, soul, and body who is fearfully and wonderfully made by God. He created me in His image for His honor and glory and has a specific plan and purpose for my life. As I stand on His Word, listen to and obey his Holy Spirit, He will guide me on the path to achieve my God given destiny.

God is using me and other black women to be vessels He can flow through to help shape the hearts and lives of the next generations.
Jerry Taliaferro uses his awesome gifts and talents to convey our strength, grace and beauty through the lens of his camera.

THIS JOURNEY

The journey to this book has not been a direct one. The progression from a single image to a series of fine art photographs, to a traveling exhibition celebrating the black woman, and finally to this book, took place over the course of years and considerable effort. It has been an incredibly worthwhile journey in the company of some great human beings, mostly women, who nurtured and encouraged my efforts. The journey to this book has also been my journey to learning how to see beauty. Now I better understand that beauty is all around us all the time and that the challenge is to see it. Ive learned that seeing beauty is a process that involves more than eyes. To see the complete beauty of another human being we must also use our hearts. It is with our hearts that we see the invisible qualities. It is with our hearts that we see courage, compassion, love, and sacrifice. The journey to this book also confirmed my belief in the power of black and white portraiture to reveal something more about its subjects. Perhaps it is this power to steal the soul that the Native Americans who first encountered photographers and photographs noted. In the photographs that follow, I hope to reveal the beauty and souls of black women.

Veronica S. VERONICA S.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

until relatively recently, very little attention had been paid to the beauty of black women. The black woman was almost invisible. As a child watching television, I rarely saw black women portrayed as objects of desire. But I knew that they existed. I had seen my best friends beautiful older sisters, and like many young boys, I had a crush on one of my grade school teachers who I thought was the most beautiful woman ever. Occasionally the spotlight would be casted upon a Dorothy Dandridge, a Diahann Carroll or a Halle Berry almost as if they were some wonderful aberrations of nature that only happens now and then. But what about those black women whose beauty is more exotic, those women who meet standards of beauty other than the euro-centric ones. What about the jet black goddess with skin like glass, the caramel toned Amazon or the Great-Grandmother whose beauty defies time? This book is an attempt to see them too. It is an attempt to see in a new light and a new way this incredibly diverse group of women. These beautiful women have always been around us. They are our wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and friends. We can see the beauty in them if we just try. Perhaps in seeing their beauty we will come to understand what makes a woman truly beautiful. Maybe we will understand that real beauty is more than a random confluence of physical traits such as eyes, mouth, hair and body type. Just maybe we will come to understand that real beauty is more than that which can be seen. Real beauty is that which lifts us, real beauty touches our hearts.