The Atlantic wrote about Jamel Shabazz‘s New York City street photography from the ’80s and ’90s, photography featured in his books A Time Before Crack (powerHouse Books, 2005, 2022) and Back in the Days (powerHouse Books, 2001).
“In an era when the crack epidemic and mass incarceration were tearing families and neighborhoods apart, Shabazz saw photography as a form of “visual medicine.” Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, he traversed the streets of New York City armed with a 35-mm camera, his business card, a chessboard, and several photo albums, which he would produce to build trust with his subjects by offering evidence of his past work.”
Read the full article here.