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Independent Lens

Trailer | The Picture Taker

Meet Ernest Withers, iconic African American civil rights photographer—and FBI informant.

Aired 02/06/2023

Independent Lens

Trailer | The Picture Taker

Preview: Season 24 Episode 7 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions

Meet Ernest Withers, iconic African American civil rights photographer—and FBI informant.

The vibrant life of Ernest Withers—civil rights photographer, and FBI informant—was anything but black and white. From his Memphis studio, Withers' nearly 2 million images were a treasured record of Black history but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy—or both?

Aired 02/06/2023

Independent Lens

Trailer | The Picture Taker

Preview: Season 24 Episode 7 | 30sVideo has Closed Captions

The vibrant life of Ernest Withers—civil rights photographer, and FBI informant—was anything but black and white. From his Memphis studio, Withers' nearly 2 million images were a treasured record of Black history but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy—or both?

Aired 02/06/2023

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