Malaika Hodari Kambon is a revolutionary photojournalist to her heart, spirit, and soul.
Award winning & a published journalist since 2003 , she has followed her love of community & documentary photography & photojournalism; combining the genres of photography, journalism, & radio for over twenty-one years of field experience; & establishing eight years specializing in event and athletic photojournalism; in portraiture and other forms of digital capture through lighting.
And establishing PEOPLE’S EYE PHOTOGRAPHY! #BlackBusinessMatters
Cell phone technology photography apps are advancing! These photos were taken w/ Malaika’s cell phone @ famed jazz musician Muziki Duane Roberson’s 70th birthday celebration!
Though Ms Kambon feels that there isn’t any subject that she cannot photograph, she learns daily from Master photographers, such as the late great Kamau Amen-Ra, Luci S Williams Houston; the two living immortals, Chester Higgins and John H White; & the many Afrikan Men & Women photographers who have come before her. She is returning to school to broaden her skill sets. And her main focus is on her community work, on growing her business as a photojournalist, & on adding still photography for film, video, & dynamic cell phone app photography to her repertoire. “They are many branches on a tree,” she says, “& I have a million miles of things to learn!”
Most people rarely see Malaika Kambon without a camera in her hands, in the field documenting some new event, or in a library with her total concentration in a book or online, learning something new. But they see her photos, and her photos are in high demand.
Now she is looking to broaden her skills & skill sets to incorporate expansion into larger digital media environments, all to better serve a global community.
A graduate of New College of California w/ a BA in Humanities, Ms. Kambon fell in love w/photography there, & knew immediately where she wanted to utilize her skills.
“Without my strong commitment to community, I would not ever have picked up a camera. I do not do art for art’s sake, and becoming a master of my craft will enhance my ability to serve,” says Ms. Kambon. These are the words she lives by.
Her documenting of global events began with radio, but was cut short by funding concerns & a nearly fatal on-the-job chemical exposure, which knocked out her vocal audibility for almost ten years. This left her with another set of permanent, invisible disabilities.
Remaking her life, despite numerous obstacles and challenges, she was given a camcorder in 2003, acquired a DSLR camera in 2008, & has documented such critically important issues in the Afrikan community as rebellions against police corruption and brutality; the growing statewide fight to ban the retail sale of menthol & flavored tobacco products by a tobacco industry that targets Afrikan, Asian, Latinix teens & all communities of color;
acclaimed plays & productions by Afrikan Women in theatre, such as the 1st scene below from the Tavia Percia Theatre Company production of “Emmett Till-American Hero,” the 2nd scene from the Lower Bottom Playaz’ production of August Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” The last 2 photos are scenes from Regina Evans’ “52 Letters,” bringing awareness of the evil of sex trafficking to the stage during Oakland’s breaking news about entrenched sex trafficking in its police department;
Preparations for the first ever visit to the west coast by the 2015-16 presidential candidate voted for by 98% of the Haitian grassroots began, the international crisis in Haiti was coming to a head, as described in the article, “Resisting the lynching of Haitian democracy,” (which was reprinted in Spanish, French, & Kreyol) Dr. Maryse Narcisse (shown below w/ Master Percussionist Val Serrant & seated below with Vice Mayor Jovanka Beckles of Richmond) was shown much much love & respect by crowds of hundreds during her historic 1st visit to the SF/Oakland Bay Area on 4-23-17, & in California.
The 2017 Oakland International Film Festival and Gala, produced by David Roach, (shown here w/ actor Shaun Baker of the critically acclaimed movie ATONE; has celebrated its fifteenth season, and the 40th anniversary of the movie ROOTS; & both the 2015-16 Fiftieth (50th) anniversaries of the Black Arts Movement & the Black Panther Partywere historically significant occurrences in Oakland, drawing crowds of thousands of people. Both Actor Danny Glover and Marshal Eddie Conway, recently released political prisoner, gave keynote addresses @ the BPP Gala!
& the record breaking athleticism of Afrikan men and women who box has put that sport – and the San Francisco / Bay Area – on the international stage of excellence. Here, two-weight world champion & best pound for pound boxer in the world, Andre “SOG” Ward defeats Sullivan Barrera in a unanimous decision on 3-26-16. Ward (31-0) is preparing for his re-match with Sergei Kovalev on June 17, 2017 after unanimously defeating Kovalev in November and stripping Kovalev of his light heavyweight title belts. People’s Eye Photography has documented Andre Ward’s career since 2009 ! World champion Raquel “Pretty Beast” Miller is a growing name in boxing. Entrepreneur, mentor to young athletes, and co-founder with her sister, Taneshia Miller of Ladies In Power (LIP) an organization that has empowering future leaders since 2006, Raquel Miller is currently 3-0 in her own professional boxing career .
There have been brilliant developments in education,
such as the Black Kings of Mission High, students who learn scholastically & about Afrikan history, the BPP, & current events in their Afrikan American Male Achievement class, from their instructor, Jeremy Michael Vincent . Mission High School in San Francisco, whose football team took a knee in support of Colin Kaepernick, has one of the most progressive curriculums in California.
Wherever/whenever there is community news: in art exhibitions, music and poetry, scholasticism, student, a growing & organized prisoner consciousness; disability rights, community empowerment; land rights, the rights of renters &/or the homeless; baby showers and weddings; the history of Afrikan people in photography; you name it, PEOPLE’S EYE PHOTOGRAPHY has photographed and/or written about it, or has been asked to do so!
Now, though the disabilities remain, vocal audibility has returned, and Ms. Kambon has a growing vision of developing her business so that she can take it anywhere in the world and do her work as an independent, free lance, ground breaking photojournalist; expanding her skills sets to include film, doing more exhibitions, and collaborations.
This GO-FUND ME page has been established for her to start making her huge business dream come true, by providing her $5000.00 in basic seed money between May-September, 2017; for the following needs:
(1) Marketing and advertising
(2) Web site development and upgrades
(3) Quality digital computer and camera equipment, and equipment upgrades
(4) Software that synchronizes with digital cameras and computers
(5) Travel funding
(6) Office supplies such as photo storage devices, digital cards, printing supplies
(7) Office expenses,
(8) Business attire
PEOPLE’S EYE must acquire this funding without missing a beat in recording breaking news events!
Ms. Kambon is going in new directions with her company! Daily she receives emails requesting her company’s services for in and out of state events, from communities who have seen her work and have stories that need to be told! But her ability to go where she needs to go and cover what needs to be covered is limited.
This limitation has to change!
She is taking the “dis” out of “abled” and she needs the support of her community.
PEOPLE’S EYE PHOTOGRAPHY deeply appreciates all of the community support she has received over the years. And this company will give back ten fold.
If you would like to help this business grow and develop, reach higher heights of service, spread the word, donate, reach out to her with your donations and your business!
If you would rather make your donation offline and in person your gift amount will be noted here with whatever level of public acclaim (or not) you are comfortable with.
Thank you for supporting PEOPLE’S EYE PHOTOGRAPHY!
Partial Awards list:
2010 – Letter of Appreciation – World Kukkiwon Federation; Seoul, South Korea
2011-Luci S Williams Houston Scholarship – BABJA
2012-2015 – Certificates of Completion – Berkeley Advanced Media
2014-2015-Awards for Excellence in News/Sports Photography-Pacific Media Worker’s Guild; American Institute of Graphic Arts, (AIGA)New York; Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Washington, DC
Photography Exhibitions: San Francisco State University, San Leandro Public Library, Eastside Arts Alliance
Partial list of publications:
San Francisco Bayview Newspaper – 14 years
International Tae Kwon Do Times – 5 years
SF Examiner (online) – 5 years
Counterpunch – recently
Pambazuka News – “Resisting the lynching of Haitian democracy,” 2-2-2017
Pambazuka News – “U.S. issues Haiti travel warning: How dare they!” 1-9-2013
Collaborations:
SF Arts Commission: Sights and Sounds of the Bayview
Sights and Sounds of the Bayview: In Your Corner: Raquel Miller YouTube
Before It’s News: Rock on, Raquel From Bayview to Rio:
Sights and Sounds of the Bayview: In Your Corner: Raquel Miller KALW Local Public Radio
https://www.gofundme.com/peoples-eye-photography
