Art and Activism
To commemorate Black History Month 2026, we look at portraits of musicians, writers, poets and cultural icons in the Magnum archive
“An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times,” Nina Simone once proclaimed. “I think that is true of painters, sculptors, poets, musicians. As far as I’m concerned, it’s their choice. But I choose to reflect the times and the situations in which I find myself. That, to me, is my duty. And at this crucial time in our lives, when everything is so desperate, when every day is a matter of survival, I don’t think you can help but be involved.”
“When black people are talked about, the focus tends to be on black men; and when women are talked about the focus tends to be on white women,” bell hooks wrote decades later in Ain’t I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism, her debut book, written when she was just 19 years old.
In celebration of Black History Month 2026, we take a look at some of the women who used art as a way to challenge the status quo, express their beliefs, and inspire generations to come. “How can you call yourself an artist and not reflect the times?” said Nina Simone.
Pictured above is legendary Gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in 1958. Five years later, she would perform at the March on Washington, a prelude to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech.
"Art hurts. Art urges voyages – and it is easier to stay at home."
- Gwendoline Brooks
"I sing like I feel."
- Ella Fitzgerald
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
- Maya Angelou, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
"Picket lines, school boycotts
They try to say it's a communist plot
All I want is equality
For my sister, my brother, my people, and me"
- Nina Simone, Mississippi Goddamn
Browse more from the Black Americans and the Arts distro in the Magnum Archive.
