Calvin Littlejohn was an American photographer known for his contributions to the field of photojournalism, particularly in documenting the civil rights movement in the United States. He was born on December 12, 1932, in Durham, North Carolina, and passed away on March 8, 1994.
Littlejohn began his career as a staff photographer for the Chicago Defender, an influential African-American newspaper. He covered various civil rights events, including the 1957 integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Throughout his career, Littlejohn captured powerful images that depicted the struggle for racial equality and social justice. His photographs appeared in publications such as Life magazine and Jet magazine, helping to bring awareness and understanding of the civil rights movement to a wider audience.
Although he may not be as widely recognized as some other photographers of the era, Calvin Littlejohn’s work remains an important contribution to the documentation of this significant period in American history.