罗伊•刘易斯

罗伊•刘易斯 was born on July 24, 1937, in Natchez, Mississippi. His story is one deeply rooted in the South’s tumultuous past. In 1940, his family relocated from the Shieldsboro Plantation to Oakland Plantation, 这一举动将在他们的生活中留下不可磨灭的印记. 他母亲英年早逝, 伊丽莎白·刘易斯, 肺结核在他们中间造成了空白, 留下罗伊·刘易斯和他的六个兄弟姐妹. 她的临别留言, 请求家庭团结, would later become a cornerstone of his photographic pursuits.

Raised by his maternal grandparents in a sharecropping family, Lewis’ journey from the South to the bustling metropolis of Chicago was marked by both ambition and fortitude. 在赛迪五世完成学业后. Thompson High School in Natchez, he ventured north and secured employment at Johnson Publishing. His induction into the army in 1960 precipitated his discovery of a passion for photography, 这是他用一台普通的35毫米相机磨练出来的才能. The visual chronicles of his fellow soldiers and friends would soon pave the way for his foray into professional photography. In 1961, he married Marmel Robinson, and a year later, he was discharged from the army.

重新加入约翰逊出版公司, Lewis’ breakthrough moment occurred when JET magazine published his portrait of jazz virtuoso Thelonious Monk. In 1966, he journeyed back to Mississippi to document the March Against Fear, 詹姆斯·梅雷迪思被枪杀之后. By 1968, he had left Johnson Publishing and embarked on a teaching career in the film department at Northeastern Illinois University.

In 1973, Lewis travelled to Jackson MS to photograph the 菲利斯·惠特利诗歌节. Lewis’ work gained further prominence when he filmed an interview with Elijah Muhammad for “A Nation of Common Sense.” In 1974, he captured the historic “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The documentary “When We Were Kings” immortalizes the footage from this iconic event.

In 1975, Lewis commenced work on “River Road on Mississippi,” a pictorial tome showcasing the African American experience along the Mississippi River. 他为1995年的摄影集项目做出了贡献, “我的子民之歌”,，并记录了百万人游行, 一次超过830人的盛大聚会,000名黑人在华盛顿, D.C. 此外, he filmed Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks for the documentary “Riding and Striding, Reading and Teaching: A Short Day in the Life of Gwendolyn Brooks,” which was screened by the Poetry Foundation in June 2017.

刘易斯的作品得到了应有的认可, earning him accolades such as the Maurice Sorrell Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as honors from the National Press Club and the National Press Photographers Association. A selection of his work is proudly displayed in the National Museum of African American 历史 and Culture in Washington, D.C.