Manifesto

Champion Black Photographers

At theBLKGZE, we believe photography is more than art, it’s a force that shapes culture, shifts perception, and tells truths that words often can’t.

This manifesto is not just a declaration.
It’s a call. A commitment.
To centre Black photographers.
To celebrate their vision.
To build the future they deserve.

1. Celebrate the Spectrum of Black Creativity
   Black creativity is vast, vital, and without boundaries. The work of Black photographers spans genres, styles, and stories, from the bold and experimental to the intimate and tender. We honour this richness. We know it doesn't just add to photography. It transforms it.
2. Spotlight Emerging Talent
   Greatness often begins in quiet places. We’re committed to discovering and uplifting emerging Black photographers, making space for new voices to rise, be seen, and shape the world through their lens.
3. Honour the Legends Who Paved the Way
   Progress is not an accident. It’s the outcome of courage, craft, and perseverance. We stand on the shoulders of the Black photographers who came before us, visionaries who created in spite of erasure, who carved out space where there was none. Their legacy lights our path.
4. Destroy Stereotypes, One Image at a Time
   We reject the single story. We reject the gaze that flattens, exoticises, or distorts. We demand imagery that is honest, layered, and fully human, photography that dismantles stereotype and reclaims truth.
5. Build a Truly Inclusive Community
   Our focus begins with Black photographers. But our mission speaks to all. We welcome those who share our belief in equity, creativity, and storytelling that reflects the world as it truly is, diverse, complex, and interconnected.
6. Empower Through Mentorship
   Wisdom should never be gatekept. We champion mentorship, a passing of the torch from established Black photographers to those rising up. Together, we build a legacy of shared knowledge, collaboration and bold innovation.
7. Celebrate the Beauty of Intersectionality
   Blackness is not a monolith. We embrace its intersections — of gender, sexuality, disability, class, nationality and more — knowing they give rise to deeper stories, sharper images, and a richer, truer understanding of the world.
8. Capture Injustice, Inspire Change
   Photography can spark movements. We stand with photographers who document injustice and ignite action. Who use their lens to hold power to account and push the world towards justice, empathy and equity.
9. Foster Bold Conversations
   Great photography provokes. It asks. It unsettles. We create space for honest, critical dialogue about the role of photography in shaping culture, how it reflects us, challenges us, and helps us imagine what’s possible.
10. Reclaiming the Narrative
    For too long, Black stories have been framed by those outside them. No more. We believe in the power of Black photographers to own their narratives, to document, to define, to disrupt. To make images that not only reflect who we are, but who we’ve always been.