New History Gallery Pod
“I’m not a professional photographer, I’m a political organizer. I happen to use the camera to tell the story of the work I do.” – Bob Fitch
Watsonville’s own Bob Fitch began his career as a photojournalist in 1965. Trained as a minister, he joined the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s organization, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “Photojournalism seduced me,” said Fitch. “It was my way to support the organizing for social justice that was transforming history, our lives and future.” Fitch documented the U.S.’s civil rights movement in the South. These powerful images reveal how communities organized for the cause of freedom.
Bob Fitch continued to document nonviolent peace and social justice leaders and movements. He photographed local activists, including immigrant rights marches and war protests. In 2013, the Stanford University Libraries acquired the photographic archive of this activist photographer. This is a selection of many powerful shots taken by Bob Fitch.