A Beautiful Ghetto

 Emma Straus  

November 2022 

21st Century Lit and Time  

A Beautiful Ghetto  

 

 

The striking images of A Beautiful Ghetto are familiar to our political climate, but also set themselves apart from many of the images seen on the news or in the media. Many instances in media, when depicting the Black Lives Matter protests, they often portray a different side of the protests, whether as something to generate pity, or something completely backward. But in his photo-essay, Devin Allen captures so much more.  

There is more than just pain and strife in Allen’s stunning photos. On the surface, the photos depict protests that erupted after Freddie Gray’s death. But, Allen crafts another narrative. Even from the title, Allen juxtaposes ‘beautiful’ with ‘ghetto’, a word society typically associates with poverty. The photos illustrate the powerful protests, but also a sense of community. The images contain depictions of black businesses, homes, and spaces. Within the ‘ghetto’, there is beauty brought by the Black community. Allen’s photographs reveal a sense of community.  

Of course, Allen depicts the struggle of the Black community, but he also includes the side that is often overlooked or over-debated to a point of erasure. Allen celebrates the resilience of the black community, making art and homes and community in a space that was designed to stifle all of these elements. It is interesting to see the way in which Allen portrays the struggle of the black community in Baltimore, but these images can resonate elsewhere in America. The images of heavy policing in a community that does not have the resources to fight back has characterized the Black Lives Matter protests across the country. The protest pieces are remnant of many stories we have heard. But Allen takes these stories and gives them their voices back by including pieces of the community and culture surrounded by these issues.  

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