Leigh Raiford's New Book Examines Black Panther Family Photography and Diasporic Belonging
On April 14, 2026, Duke University Press released Leigh Raiford's book, 'When Home Is a Photograph: Blackness and Belonging in the World.' The work examines a 1970 image captured by Jeffrey Blankfort, showcasing Maceo and Joju Cleaver, the offspring of Black Panther leaders Eldridge and Kathleen Neal Cleaver, seated in a zebra-print chair—Kathleen's cherished piece from their San Francisco residence. This chair represents cultural nationalism, echoing a May 1967 photo of Huey P. Newton. Raiford posits that such objects acted as 'diasporic resources' during times of exile. The Cleavers' collection illustrates the concept of homemaking amidst displacement, with their life in Algeria proving difficult, as only Kathleen was fluent in French. Raiford's research offers a new perspective on diaspora studies through the lens of domestic photography.
Key facts
- Leigh Raiford's book 'When Home Is a Photograph: Blackness and Belonging in the World' was published April 14, 2026 by Duke University Press.
- The book analyzes a 1970 photograph by Jeffrey Blankfort of Maceo and Joju Cleaver in a zebra-print carver chair.
- The chair was Kathleen Cleaver's favorite, originally in her San Francisco home from 1967 and later shipped to Algiers.
- The zebra print references Eldridge Cleaver's staged May 1967 photograph of Huey P. Newton with African-themed props.
- Kathleen Cleaver placed her children in the chair for the photograph the day it arrived in their Hydra, Algiers home.
- In 1972, a Black Panther Party delegation traveled to Congo-Brazzaville seeking connection with Africa.
- At the International Section's height, 30 Panthers lived in Algiers, with only Kathleen speaking French.
- Raiford draws on scholars Tina Campt and Kevin Quashie to analyze quiet and the quotidian in diaspora studies.
Entities
Artists
- Leigh Raiford
- Jeffrey Blankfort
- Eldridge Cleaver
- Kathleen Neal Cleaver
- Huey P. Newton
- Tina Campt
- Kevin Quashie
- Jacqueline Nassy Brown
- Blair Stapp
- John Stephens
Institutions
- Duke University Press
- Black Panther Party
- Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Locations
- San Francisco
- United States
- Algiers
- Algeria
- Hydra
- Congo-Brazzaville
- India
- Philippines
- Liberia
- Sierra Leone