The World(s) She Made: Composing The Radical Lives of Kathleen Neal Cleaver

The World(s) She Made: Composing The Radical Lives of Kathleen Neal Cleaver is open at the Auburn Avenue Research Library in Atlanta, and it's the first public photography exhibit to look at Kathleen Neal Cleaver's life. It runs from July 30, 2026, through January 4, 2027, so you've got plenty of time to catch it.

Most of us know Cleaver as one of the most photographed icons of 1960s activism and a recognizable leader of the Black Power movement in the U.S. and abroad. But this show goes well beyond that. It draws heavily from the personal collection she curated over decades, alongside images by other artists like Dr. Doris Derby, and follows her journey from Panther leader to political exile, to law professor at Yale and Emory, and to her life as a mother and advocate. It's a wide arc—from the front lines of a movement to the lecture halls of two different universities.

There's a bit of family history that helps set the stage, too. Born in 1941 to civil rights activists, she grew up as the child of a U.S. Foreign Service officer, a childhood that took her across the American South, Asia, and West Africa before she became a leader in the Black Panther Party. That early, global perspective is a good thread to keep in mind as you walk through the images.

Behind the scenes, the Kathleen Cleaver Papers were acquired by the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University by the late Pellom McDaniels III, who was then curator of African American collections. You can find the exhibit at the Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, running through January 4, 2027.