Tom's guest is the acclaimed photographer, Mel D. Cole. Celebrated for his compelling images of music and soccer celebrities, his new book of photographs marks a dramatic change of focus. It's titled “American Protest: Photographs 2020–2021.” It features stunning scenes from the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted across the country following the May 25, 2020 police killing of George Floyd.
Also published on his website are photo and video essays about events in New York City and Richmond, Virginia, as well as powerful images Cole captured of the insurrectionist assault on the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021.
Mel D. Cole joins us on Zoom from New York City.
Below is a gallery of six photos by Mel D. Cole.
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A Black Trump supporter at the January 6 insurrectionist riot at the US Capitol (photo by Mel D. Cole)
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A Black Lives Matter demonstrator gestures to police in Philadelphia, PA, in 2020. (photo by Mel D. Cole)
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The first day of Black Lives Matter protests in New York City, in response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020. (photo by Mel D. Cole)
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Anti-racism graffiti adorns the General Robert E. Lee Statue in Richmond Virginia in 2020. (photo by Mel D. Cole)
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Black Lives Matter protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, 2020. (photo by Mel D. Cole)
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DC Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone beseiged by rioters at the US Capitol, Jan 6 2021. (Photo by Mel D. Cole)
