Black Militant Burns Summons: James Forman, Director of the United Black Appeal, burns a summons after meeting today with Roman Catholic officials at the Archdiocese of New York headquarters. Police issued Forman the summons for disrupting the Riverside Church services on Sunday. Forman came to the meeting at the headquarters demanding that the Roman Catholic Church pay 40% of a $500 million "reparations" bill to the black community. Photograph taken by AP Photographer John Rooney, New York.

James Forman (1928-2005) was a prominent black leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He was active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Black Panther Party, and the League of Revolutionary Black Workers. As the Executive Secretary of the SNCC from 1961 to 1966, Forman played a significant role in the freedom rides, the Albany Movement, the Birmingham Campaign, and the Selma to Montgomery marches. After the 1960s, Forman spent the rest of his adult life organizing black people around issues of social and economic equality. He also taught at American University and other major institutions.

Donated to the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College by Michael Mattis and Judy Hochberg on June 2, 2021.

On recto: Typewritten label below image, "(NY31) NEW YORK, May 9--BLACK MILITANT BURNS SUMMONS--James Forman, director / of the United Black Appeal, burns a summons after meeting today with Roman / Catholic officials at the Archdiocese of New York headquarters. Police / issued Forman the summons for disrupting the Riverside Church services on / Sunday. Forman came to the meeting at the headquarters demanding that the / Roman Catholic Church pay 40 per cent of a $500 million "reparation" bill / to the Negro community. Picture taken by AP Photographer John Rooney. / (AP Wirephoto) (hrm61445jr)1969".

On verso: Handwritten in blue graphite, "James Forman [underlined with last name circled] / demonstrator". Stamped in purple ink: "MAY 10 1969 P" followed by "1a" handwritten in blue graphite. Stamped in purple ink: "MAY 2 1970 P" followed by "6a" handwritten in blue graphite. Stamped in purple in upper right quadrant "1970 APR 30 PM 4 41". Stamped in purple along bottom right edge: "1969 MAY 10 AM 5 33". Purple ink stamp is filled in handwritten in black ink: "3 col x 7 in / James Forman / Forman / 7 45 a / Sat". Handwritten in graphite in upper left corner: "CVL-LDR-511.3 2000".

Sheet: 10 5/16 x 7 9/16

Wire photographs were originally transmitted over phonelines, then later, by satellite. They were first used in the early 1920s. Associated Press became a leader with this. After pigment touch-ups, etc., the print is put into a drum (like a drum scanner). The image gets converted into audio tones that are transmitted. The tones are received and beamed onto photo-sensitive paper. Wire photographs are copies without originals---they are hybrid, transmitted objects. (Britt Salvesen, Curator and Department Head, Photography Department, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, March 30-31, 2022)

This object has the following keywords:

• Archdiocese of New York
• Catholic Church
• Civil Rights Movements
• Discrimination
• Headquarters
• Injustice
• James Forman
• Male Portraits
• New York City
• Summonses
• United Black Appeal

• Image Dimensions: 8 11/16 x 7 3/16 in. (22.07 x 18.26 cm)