From the 1930s to the 1970s, Charles “Teenie” Harris worked as a photojournalist for the Pittsburgh Courier, one of the most influential black newspapers of the 20th century, capturing the everyday experience of African American life in the Steel City.
During World War II, African Americans from Pittsburgh and all around the country fought and died abroad even as they were marginalized at home.
Through his photography, Harris captured the realities—points of pride and points of sorrow—of a “separate but equal” service to one’s country, through his coverage of the Double Victory campaign, a nationwide effort launched by the Courier to enlist African Americans to fight for their country and their rights at home.
The unique experiences of those black soldiers frame the conversation of this photo essay, which includes selections from the more than 80,000 photographs, negatives and film that comprise the Teenis Harris Archive at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
Interspersed with these images are the lived experiences of Master Sergent Eugene Boyer, Sr., a veteran of World War II and Korea, and that of Staff Sargent Lance Woods, 60 years Boyer’s junior, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan.
