Atlanta’s High Museum of Art has announced one of the most moving exhibitions of its centennial year: Doris Derby: A Civil Rights Journey, on view March 19 through August 1, 2027. Organized by the High, the exhibition brings together more than 75 photographs, along with archival materials, by Doris Derby (1939–2022), the photographer, activist, organizer and educator who documented the Civil Rights Movement from the inside.
At just 23, Derby moved to Mississippi to work within the movement, and between 1963 and 1972 she photographed the everyday work that changed lives: cooperatives, crafting and quilting guilds, healthcare programs and adult literacy classes. Rather than the dramatic protest scenes that made headlines, her camera celebrated determination, learning and connection — and gave long-overdue prominence to the women whose quiet leadership held communities together.
Because Derby photographed the very programs she helped to found, her images carry a warmth and familiarity no outside observer could match. Presented as part of the High’s 100th anniversary celebrations, A Civil Rights Journey invites visitors of every generation to discover an unparalleled archive of hope in action — and to see the movement through the eyes of someone who lived it, camera in hand, day after day.
Photo: BurnAway via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
