African American expressive culture in Philadelphia project

Biographical Note

Roland L. Freeman was born in Baltimore in 1936 and became a photographer known for his work within African American communities. He began his photography career in the mid-1960s and shortly thereafter committed himself to documenting traditional African American folklife practices. He was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment for the Arts and has been recognized with a number of other awards. Many magazines with national and international distribution have reproduced his work and his photographs have been displayed in many exhibitions. More than a half-dozen books have been published featuring his photographs.