South Middlesex Times

The Pulitzer Prize-Winning photo, The Soiling of Old Glory, was taken by newspaper photographer Stanley Forman on April 5, 1976 in Boston during a protest against the city's plan to desegregate its public schools Courtsey of Louis MasurNearly 50 years ago during a protest against Boston’s plan to desegregate its public schools, newspaper photographer Stanley Forman snapped a picture that came to symbolize the country’s racial division. The image depicting a white protester using an American flag to attack a Black man taken on April 5, 1976, ran in newspapers nationwide and later won a Pulitzer Prize.

In his book The Soiling of Old Glory: The Story of a Photograph That Shocked America, Louis P. Masur, Rutgers Distinguished Professor of American studies and history, delved into the stories behind the picture, the day’s event leading up to that moment and the people depicted in the photo, their lives before and after the shot.

Masur’s book, originally published in 2008, was recently re-released with a new foreword written by attorney Ted Landsmark, the Black man in the photo. Masur, Landsmark and Forman will come together on April 11 for a virtual and in-person panel discussion in Boston on the book that provides dramatic window into the turbulence of the 1970s and race relations in America.

Masur shared his thoughts on why it was important to revisit the iconic photo, stating, "Brandeis University Press decided to bring the book back in a paperback edition because the topic is as timely as ever. The problem of racial violence has exploded nationally in the past decade, and Stanley Forman’s photograph remains an iconic image and a touchstone for discussions of race and the meaning of America."

Reflecting on the significance of the photo in American history, Masur explained, "The photo was taken in 1976, in Boston. It was the Bicentennial, and yet here was a shocking act of racial violence that occurred, not in the deep South, but in New England. The photo speaks to that moment while, at the same time, it speaks generally to American history – to the struggle for civil rights, to the meaning of the flag, to a history of fear and violence."

Regarding Ted Landsmark's involvement in the re-release of the book, Masur highlighted Landsmark's dedication to addressing issues of racial and social justice, stating, "Ted is a remarkable person and nearly 50 years after the incident I hoped that he might want to address the issues of racial and social justice to which he has devoted much of his incredible career."

Masur also discussed the lasting impact of the photo, saying, "There are any number of photographs that have changed history. Think of Joe Rosenthal’s Flag-Raising on Iwo Jima during World War II or Nick Ut’s Napalm Girl photo taken during the Vietnam War. I devote much of the book to unpacking why the photo is so powerful."

In conclusion, Masur expressed his hopes for the re-release of his book, stating, "Ted ends his foreword with the hope the book will spark meaningful conversations about race that might lead to Americans supporting each other 'more equitably and justly.' I share that hope. There is another, different conversation too that is timely – a conversation about the role of photographs in society."