Polo Silk stumbled into photography. Four decades later, he holds one of the most important visual records of Black life in New Orleans. "I'm the only one that really got this kind of archive of the city, the people, the culture…" he recounted in his story submission to For the Record, a Black oral history archive by PushBlack and Capital B. Here's why it's so special.
Born Selwhyn Thaddeus Terrell, Polo Silk first picked up a camera in 1984 while he was trying to make it as a rapper. But photography became his way of telling stories instead. He shot the culture up close — everything from Black Mardi Gras Indians to second lines.
Polo was capturing the every joy of Black New Orleans. "New Orleans culture, to me, is that grind and joy at the same time,” he said, “people doing what they have to do to make money and pay their light bill, then still dressing up, going out, second lining, being fresh.”
His work landed in one of the world's biggest art magazines, Artforum. But Polo was never doing this work for the accolades alone. It was about shining the light on the version of New Orleans that people don't talk about. It was about holding on to the memory of everyone he captured.
Like Polo Silk, we all must keep our history alive. To learn more about Polo Silk’s story and discover others like it, check out For the Record, a national Black oral history project dedicated to preserving the stories, memories, and voices of Black America created by Capital B and PushBlack. Add your story to the archive today.