Michael von Graffenried: Our Town

A proud document of a North Carolina community and an empathetic call for increased integration and understanding at a decisive moment in American history

New Bern is a small city in North Carolina with a population of 30,000, conspicuously composed of 55% white and 33% Black citizens. It was here in 1710 that Christoph von Graffenried of Bern, Switzerland, first began building houses; the fledgling town took on the name of his native city. Taken over a period of 15 years, von Graffenried's photos are patient images of everyday life: a Black church congregation, young white girls at rifle practice; Black men exchanging cash on the street, a white couple displaying their collection of firearms; a Black female stripper performing for a white man. In June 2020, following the killing of George Floyd, the largest demonstration New Bern had ever seen took place, parallel to many Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country and marking the first time the issue of race relations had been thus proclaimed in the city. This volume maps the contradictions embodied by New Bern.