Exploring a Black Panther Family Album

This informative article, adapted from Leigh Raiford’s “When Home Is a Photograph: Blackness and Belonging in the World,” explores a photograph from Kathleen Cleaver’s family album featuring her children Maceo and Joju Cleaver in 1970. The photo captures them nestled in a zebra-printed carver chair, a significant piece of furniture that traveled with the family and symbolized the blending of African cultural elements with their domestic life. The article discusses the Cleaver family’s complex relationship with the idea of home and diasporic identity. It reflects on the broader themes of Black liberation, the influence of material culture, and the struggle to create a sense of belonging while living in exile. The Cleaver family’s experiences in Algeria highlight the challenges of cultural adaptation and the tension between their imagined connection to Africa and the reality of their environment. Through the lens of Tina Campt’s theories, the photo and its contents are examined as manifestations of Black diaspora culture, showcasing how ordinary objects like a chair can become potent symbols of mobility and home in the face of displacement and political turmoil.