I just found out that civil rights photographer and activist, Matt Herron, died last Friday. I met him in the eighties when the AIDS Quilt was being started. I created a panel for my brother, John, and he was photographing the panels as they came in. At the time I didn't know who he was.
I never met him again but I later found out about his involvement and documentation of the political and social activism of the sixties and onward. He embarked on a year-and-a-half sailing voyage to Africa with his family and was chased by police during the civil rights struggle of the 1960s.
In 1975, in a fishing boat with Greenpeace, he got in the way of Russian whalers trying to harpoon their prey off the coast of California. The following year, they chartered a bigger, faster Canadian minesweeper and plunged deeper into the North Pacific to find the whaling fleets that now avoided them. (link below).
During the 1980s, Herron became active with the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), and served as president from 1993 to 1995, and as international director and as chairman of Media Photographers Copyright Agency, ASMP's online marketing system for electronic images.
In 1975, in a fishing boat with Greenpeace, he got in the way of Russian whalers trying to harpoon their prey off the coast of California. The following year, they chartered a bigger, faster Canadian minesweeper and plunged deeper into the North Pacific to find the whaling fleets that now avoided them. (link below).
During the 1980s, Herron became active with the American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), and served as president from 1993 to 1995, and as international director and as chairman of Media Photographers Copyright Agency, ASMP's online marketing system for electronic images.
He was the Director of the photographic website, Takestock Photos, which is a unique collection of over 75,000 photographic images focused on only two subjects: The Civil Rights movement, including images of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez and the struggle of migrant farm workers; my aunt Lucy was involved with this movement as well (link below).
In May of this year he had an exhibition, I'm Walkin' For My Freedom, that showed in the San Francisco Public Library. During the run of the exhibition he gave a talk (link below).
In May of this year he had an exhibition, I'm Walkin' For My Freedom, that showed in the San Francisco Public Library. During the run of the exhibition he gave a talk (link below).
In 2014, Herron spent a week gliding over the Nevada desert with his son. This activity was the cause of his death.
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
CBS News ~ Matt Herron Showcases Work In San Francisco
Matthew Herron website
January Magazine ~ GREENPEACE: How Ecologists, Journalists and Visionaries Changed the World
Marin Independant Journal ~ Retrospective of civil rights-era images
January Magazine ~ GREENPEACE: How Ecologists, Journalists and Visionaries Changed the World
Marin Independant Journal ~ Retrospective of civil rights-era images
SF Chronicle ~ Matt Herron, famed civil rights photographer and activist
SF Gate ~ Matt Herron show at UC Berkeley
SF Gate ~ Matt Herron show at UC Berkeley
Take Stock
UC Santa Cruz ~ Reception & conversation with photographer Matt Herron
World Press Photo ~ Matt Herron
UC Santa Cruz ~ Reception & conversation with photographer Matt Herron
World Press Photo ~ Matt Herron
YouTube links:
HooverPresLib ~ Civil Rights Under Three Hats: Photography of Matt Herron
Thanks for sharing the write-up on Herron, Styrous. I heard about his death through Ernest Lowe and Najib Joe Hakim. I got to know more about Herron's work after they shared links to some of his works. Indeed, a remarkable man he was, and lived an adventurous life right till the end.
ReplyDeleteSapna Dhandh-Sharma
You're welcome, Sapna. Thank you for your comment.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right; he was truly amazing!