JD Howard
On Oct. 16, 1995, JD Howard was on hand at the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. to bear witness and document the events for the AFRO. That day he shot Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr., former D.C Mayor Marion Barry, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Maya Angelou and Dick Gregory, among many others.
His iconic cover photo for the AFRO’s Million Man March issue was a crowd shot that really allowed the readers to see the multitude of Black men that showed up to support the national day of atonement.
It was early afternoon and the day had gone off without any hitches, but Howard felt he was still missing that one shot that would capture the momentous occasion.
“I went to the Capitol but the guards told me the Capitol was closed. I knew there was a good picture here and I could feel it but I couldn’t get to it. I needed to get upstairs so I could shoot down on the crowd but the building was closed. So I milled around the Capitol and then, when nobody was looking, I ducked inside and headed for the elevator.
AFRO photo of 1995 Million Man March. (Photo by JD Howard)
I got on the elevator as some other people were getting off and I pressed the button for the third floor. I got off on the third and had to act like I was doing something official. I looked around and I found these secretaries standing in front of Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-Mass.) office. There were three of them and they were talking, so I went over and approached them. We exchanged pleasantries and I told them I would love to take a picture from the Congressman’s office window.
I told them I was from the {Afro-American Newspapers} and that I would make it very quick. A secretary said ‘I can let you in but you have to be honest and be quick about it.’ She then told me that she didn’t know if the window would open so I asked if she would check it. When she went into the office, I followed and the other two secretaries behind me. The secretaries were White women and when they looked outside they said there is an awful big crowd out there and then another one looked and said oh my gosh they’re everywhere.
So I said let me see and I was like, ‘Oh yeah this is it.’ I began to open the window when one of the secretaries warned me that I could only open it but so wide because they had the Congressman’s letters arranged on his desk and they feared them blowing off. The first thing I noticed as we opened the window is they had a bird screen, which you can see a little bit if you closely in my picture, but I was able to shoot through that. But when I looked out that window I saw it, I could see the shot.
I could see the monument, the Jumbotrons they had on both sides of the mall and I could see the Capitol steps and people were everywhere, I said, ‘Oh my God.’ I was shooting with a wide angle, that’s how I got that picture.
As I’m surveying the landscape the secretary says, ‘Sir, you’re going to have to stop now because the letters are starting to blow off his desk.’ I remember saying ok and taking a deep breath then click, click, click, click, click, hurry, click, click, click, click, click and off… whew. Then I checked my light meter to make sure I was getting good exposure. By the time she had something else to say I was done. I said, ‘Thank you very kindly ma’am’ and I tried to grab a few of the things that flew off and helped her put them back in order. Now I had to duck and dodge to try to get out of the building since it was still closed. I got on the elevator and headed down. I exited when some other men got on. As I exited the elevator a security guard stopped me and said the building is closed. I told him I’m trying to leave and he had me follow him to the exit. But now I had what I wanted.”