A century after Washington D.C.'s Black Renaissance and 66 years since Art Kane’s iconic photo, 166 Black artists and cultural leaders unite to make art history with photographer Beverly Price’s A Great Day in Chocolate City.

This NOV 2024 The Vanguard Issue cover story is available in print.

It was a Saturday. 166 Washingtonian artists gather in front of Chela Mitchell Gallery to make a photograph. In front of the lens are giants sharing space and light to reflect a movement in a moment. From pioneers in formal spaces to founders of legendary activist groups, curators of cultural craft, and leaders of the futureʼs aesthetic, a dynamic collection of the cityʼs artistic expression faced a massive responsibility; to represent. Behind the lens are pillars of passion and consideration alongside a community of Black sovereign expression as old as Barry Farm. The date is May 11th but this day culminates thousands of perspectives told through millennia of experiences. There have been other great days. Harlem, Hip-Hop, Atlanta, and Go-Go. Like the previous, this one seeks to make its mark on the great calendar etched in the imaginations of people yet to be created.

At the beginning of this moment is art historian and cultural caretaker, Rashieda Witter. The core of Witterʼs personal and professional practice centers a profound care for Black visual and sonic culture. Originally from Orlando, Rashieda recalls meeting Chocolate City during an adventurous cab ride before she was introduced to the nationʼs capital; the difference between the Big Chair and the Lincoln Memorial. So when Rashieda became the youngest and only Black curatorial assistant at the National Gallery of Art, the idea of highlighting Chocolate Cityʼs contemporary art movement was not a question of if but rather how. “I knew I wanted to tell a story that incorporated the present moment and our past, and the only way that I felt like I would do it justice was to create an image as broad and magnificent and intergenerational as A Great Day in Chocolate City has become.” 

Tap for a closer look at the panoramic photo:

Reflecting on the timeliness of this moment, Rashieda states, “With gentrification comes the erasure of history. They tear down monuments. They tear down murals. They try to erase all traces of Blackness that has existed here.” Witter continues, “A couple years ago, I overheard this conversation of some gentrifiers referring to the city as cappuccino city. It was a [joke] but very telling about the lack of respect people have for the spaces they occupy.” Only recently has D.C. been able to shed the label of “Most Intensely Gentrified City.”  When countering the idea that people not from Chocolate City, including Rashieda and the National Gallery of Art, could define the cityʼs culture, Witter states clearly, “I wanted to give careful consideration and empathy towards Chocolate City.”

To accomplish this, Witter borrows from the familiar photo format of Art Kaneʼs 1958 A Great Day in Harlem in which jazz greats from a previous generation gathered for an article in Esquire Magazine. Decades later, XXL magazine would hire Gordon Parks for A Great Day in Hip-Hop. Spike Lee replicated the format in video format for Netflixʼs Strong Black Lead campaign, A Great Day in Hollywood. Washington, DC is not foreign to the concept as Dee Dwyer published A Great Day in Go-Go in 2021. While the format for this group-style picture is the same, the process of making A Great Day in Chocolate City was not the same.

“Art Kaneʼs A Great Day in Harlem was his first photograph, featuring over 50 renowned jazz musicians. While the image is iconic, as a native Washingtonian and jazz lover, I couldnʼt help but notice the absence of D.C.ʼs own jazz pioneers, Duke Ellington [who was traveling at the time] and Shirley Horn,” says multi-award winning photographer and native Washingtonian, Beverly Price, about the original Great Day in Harlem photograph. “Though neither appeared in the original photo, their influence remains undeniable. D.C. artists often shape global culture, yet are sometimes overlooked. This photo seeks to honor their contributions, celebrating the often under-recognized artists, past and present, who enrich both D.C.ʼs and the worldʼs dynamic art and cultural landscape. Much like jazz, our diverse artistic influences come together to create a powerful visual harmony.”

It is this passion that catches Rashieda's carefully considerate eye. On the decision to partner with Beverly for A Great Day in Chocolate City, Witter says, “I wanted someone who was born and raised in DC… someone who is deeply passionate about their community and has had a track record of showing up.” She continues, “That's why it had to be Beverly. When looking at Beverlyʼs work I could just see this heightened intimacy and safety in the eyes of everyone who was in front of her camera. And you can only get that if you also move with care.” Aligned in passion and equipped with care, Beverly and Rashieda agree about the importance of Chocolate City to the rest of Black culture. For example, the history of Washington D.C.ʼs Black Broadway predates the more recognized cultural phenomenon of the Harlem Renaissance. Rashieda says, “I feel like when we talk about major black cities across the U.S., Chocolate City is often left out of the conversation in terms of what they have creatively offered to the culture.”

Unlike the original and hip-hop versions of ‘A Great Day’, Rashieda and Beverly decided to rely completely on the Chocolate City artistic community. Rashieda states, “Look at what happens when you look at those two photos. Look at who is excluded. When you don't rely on community, you have a legend like  Shirley Horn missing from A Great Day in Harlem. When you don't rely on community, you don't have any female rappers present in A Great Day in Hip Hop.” There was no social media post to advertise this moment. Instead, the pair decided a grassroots, word-of-mouth approach would be more effective. Rashiedaʼs instructions were simple for those who earned the first round of invitations. “Share the invitation with other artists whose work you believe in. They must be of African ancestry and descent. I didn't want this to become a POC moment, it needed to focus exclusively on Blackness.” 

Chocolate Cityʼs over-looked generations are a priority as Rashieda sets out to capture a dynamic representation of the contemporary Chocolate City arts movement. She states, “When people hear the word contemporary, they think of youthfulness. They think of emerging or mid-career artists. But for me, our elders are still a part of our contemporary,” She continues, “[I did] my due diligence to research who these elders were and what they have creatively contributed.” Alongside the elders are countless artist forms and intersections. “This was an opportunity to make it intergenerational, to make it gender expansive, to make it class expansive, to make it even [genre] expansive.” 

“When I came to Washington and at Howard University, I found this rich reservoir of imagery, of symbolism, of concepts. Washington, D.C., at that point, was Chocolate City,” says Claudia “Aziza” Gibson-Hunter. As a member of the Chocolate City Arts Movement since the late 20th century and co-founder of the 25-year-old Black Arts D.C. organization, Gibson-Hunter represents the elders of Rashiedaʼs vision. While organically recruiting artists for the photograph, Rasheida and Claudia met for the first time. “I contacted Rashieda, and I said, you know, I'm a member of this thing called black artists of D.C., I said, and we have a lot of seasoned artists in here,” Claudia recalls. “I think Rashieda Witter did an incredible job of pulling our black artists together. There were several generations of artists there. Once we gathered, it reminded me of back in the day,” Gibson-Hunter states while reflecting on the moment of the photograph. “And then one by one, and then two by two and five by five folks were coming in. We had folks that came in wheelchairs.”

“I'm here amongst my people, which in this digital time, sometimes it can be hard to feel surrounded, involved in your tribe,” says creative and curator Jamal Gray. When it came time for the photo, Gray says, “We [were] met with openness and grace. And then it was like, all right, now we got these two black women in charge. It's time to listen up!” 

Beverly was so invested in capturing the moment authentically that she didnʼt share that she would be the photographer before the moment. “I just wanted people to show up. Because it was a moment in time, not about who photographed it, not about who was in it. But just coming together as a collective and celebrating each other's greatness, beyond our flaws, and beyond all these other elements that sometimes divide us and just come together.” She ponders, “Will we ever even experience something in this time like that again?”

Greatness is a measure of abundance and for this photo to live up to its moniker, Rashieda and Beverly had to, as Rashieda said, “fill the place up to the brim.” Price elaborates on her approach to the photo: “D.C. is more than just Go-Go and politics—we are Jazz and Art. As Duke Ellington once said, ‘Jazz is freedom of expression.ʼ This moment was about breaking free from being boxed in allowing us to bring our true selves and unique art contributions to this creative space called Chocolate City.”

A Great Day in Chocolate City gives the city “a sense of tomorrow, a sense of hope,” says Claudia Gibson-Hunter when imagining how this moment will affect the next generation of artists. “Initially, I really didn't feel like a significant enough artist to even go,” says Olivia Bruce, one of the youngest artists to participate. “I just knew it was imperative for me to be there. [Currently], I feel like a significant artist. I do know, God willing, that in the future, I will be a significant artist beyond my imagination.”

The Chocolate City Arts Movement has thrived for over a century while being influenced by thousands of artists with millions of stories. However, this moment is about the future. Witter concludes, “I wanted to create something so that future generations don't have to be in the dark about who their creative ancestors were. I want them to have something direct to look to and make connections.”

Here are the names of all of those who were photographed:

Adjoa Burrowes

Adrian Ferguson

Aliana Grace Bailey

Aliana Wood

Amber Robles-Gordon

Angela T. Tate

Anika Hobbs

Asha Elana Casey

Ashley Brown

Aziza Claudia Gibson-Hunter

Barbara Joann Combs

Beko Gates

Betty Murchison

Bevadine Terrell

Beverly Price

Big Ches DC

Billy Lew Bealle

BJ Simmons

Blake Pierre

Bonita Bing

Bria Edwards

Brian Bailey

Camille Mosley Pasley

Candice Tavares

Carey Francis

Carlos Walker

Carol A. Beane

Carol Rhodes Dyson

Caroline Brewer

Cedric Baker

Chantel Bennett

Charles Jean Pierre

Chela Mitchell

Cheryl Edwards

Christopher Prince

Christy Aden

Claudia M. Watts

Colletta Coco Ann

Courtney Baker-Oliver

Crystal Frost

Damon Barnes

Damyon Richardson

Daniel Brooking

Darius Barnes

Darius Scott

Davey Yarborough

David Allen Harris

David Cole

David Ibata

Dee Dwyer

Deidra Bell

Demo Jeffrey

Denise Thembi Douglas

Derrick Tabor

Destiny Outten

Dian Holton

Diante Jenkins

Doudgy Charmant

Dr. Michael Wallace

Ebony Marshman

EJ Montgomery

Ellington Robinson

Esteban Whiteside

Esther Williams Yarborough

February James

Francesca Scott

Francine Haskins

Gabrielle Awuma

Gail Shaw-Clemons

Gia Harewood

Glennette Jones

Greg Holloway

Hadiya Williams

Henry L. Thaggert

Holly Bass

Idus Daniel

J. Pamela Stills

Jabari Jefferson

Jamal Gray

Jamece Hall

James Bradley Brown

James K. Zimmerman

James Phillips (AfriCOBRA)

Jamilla Okubo

Janathel Shaw

Jarvis DuBois

Jarvis Grant

Jay F. Coleman

Jimmy "James" Greene

Joel Ulmer

John Henderson Jr.

John Johnson

Johnnie Bess

Jordan Deloach

Joshua Maps Glover

Joy Nutt

Joyce Wellman

Jude Crannitch

Julee Dickerson-Thompson

Juliette Bethea

Kamala Subramanian

Kathy English Holt

KC Malone

Kenneth Dickerson

Kent Miller

Keri Kamakazi Williams

Keyonna Jones

Kimberly C. Gaines

Kinshasha Holman Conwill

Kristen Hayes-Campbell

Larry Frazier

Lauren Davidson

Leah Lewis

Lionel Fraizer White III

Lisa Brown

Lory Ivey Alexander

Lyric Prince Harris

Marshall Brown

Maurice James Jr.

Mehari Sequar

Melanee Williams

Melani N. Douglass

Michael A. Thomas

Michael Anthony Brown

Michael B. Platt

Michelle May-Curry

Nia Kenturah Calhoun

Olivia Bruce

Oluwatoyin Tella

Omari Jesse

Oshun

Pamela Lawton

Paradise Vibing

Pearl Freeman

Phylicia Ghee

Reshada Pullen-Jireh

Rhea Beckett

Rich Green

Roderick Bridges

Rome Kpakima

Roz White

Sabiyha Prince

Samir Meghelli

Sasha Charlemagne

Selena Noir Jackson

Sharon Farmer

Shaunté Gates

Shawn Hart

Shilo Coleman

Simone Eccleston

Steven A. Butler Jr.

Tavaris Neal

Terence Nicholson

Thad Wilson

Thomas “BJ” Williams-EL

Thomas Gomillion

Tim Davis

Trap Bob

Travon Greene

Treva Ross

Urshula Dunn

W. Ellington Felton

William Deal

Yvette Spears

Zoma Wallace