<I>Untitled</I>
date: label: Date
content: May 31, 2020
name: label: Photograph by
content: Tommy Oliver, American, born 1984
label: Subject of
content: Unidentified Woman or Women
label: Subject of
content: Unidentified Man or Men
label: Subject of
content: George Perry Floyd Jr., American, 1973 - 2020
notes: label: Caption
content: Photographer Tommy Oliver is an award-winning producer and cinematographer in television and film. Best known for his 2020 documentary 40 Years a Prisoner on HBO, his docuseries Black Love (2017–2020) on OWN, and his feature film The Perfect Guy (2015), Oliver challenges audiences to question their assumptions about race, gender, and family. The film Kinyarwanda (2011), which Oliver co-produced, weaves together narratives of resilience during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. It won the Sundance Film Festival’s award for World Cinema Drama and was recognized as one of the top 10 films of 2011. This photograph is part of a broader portfolio of images taken during Black Lives Matter rallies in Los Angeles between May 31 and June 14, 2020.
label: Description
content: A digital, color image of an unidentified female protester standing in front of a police line at a Black Lives Matter protest on Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, California. The image was taken by Tommy Oliver during the protests that followed the death of George Floyd. The woman is depicted at the center of the image, facing a line of two police officers who stand with their backs to the viewer. The woman is holding a white protest sign at waist level, with large, black and red text written on it that reads [Silence / IS / Betrayal[underlined] / #BLACKLIVESMATTER] with an illustration of a black power fist accented with red rays. She is wearing a blue and white gingham, button-down, short sleeve shirt, dark shorts, and a black face mask. Her pink-blonde hair is accented with darker pink shades. The two police officers flank the woman at the center. The police officers are wearing police protective equipment: riot helmets with face visors and tactical vests. Both officers have patches on the top center of their vests that read [POLICE]. Printed on the side of the helmet of the officer on the left is white text that reads [3926]. Printed on the back of the helmet of the officer on the right is white text that reads [3951]. Surrounding the woman at the center is a large group of protesters, many of whom are wearing face masks and other protective face coverings and carrying raised protest signs. One fully visible sign in the top right corner reads [NO JUSTICE / NO PEACE!]. On the left is a cluster of partially visible signs the read [[E?]ND POLICE / [B?]RUTALITY[underlined]], [BLACK LIVES MATTER], and [Indigenous[underlined] / [---?]]. In the foreground, are two, blurred, partially visible motorcycles. In the distant background, is a blurred, tan building and a traffic signal.
place: label: Place captured
content: Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, United States, North and Central America
title: label: Title
content: Photograph of a protester standing in front of a police line in Santa Monica
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Activism
label: Topic
content: Justice
label: Topic
content: Photography
label: Topic
content: Police brutality
label: Topic
content: Race relations
label: Topic
content: Resistance
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 2001-
label: Topic
content: Urban life
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Photographs and Still Images
label: Movement
content: Black Lives Matter
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Tommy and Codie Oliver
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.31.5
objectType: label: Type
content: digital images
label: Type
content: digital media - born digital
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: © Tommy Oliver
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: digital
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 6720 pixels × 4480 pixels
label: Dimensions
content: File size: 172.3 MB