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What makes a moment sacred? How do memory, ancestry, and spirit converge in a single image?

In Part II of our extraordinary conversation with acclaimed photographer and visual historian Chester Higgins Jr., we journey deeper into the spiritual and emotional dimensions of photography and human experience. A longtime photographer for The New York Times and one of the most important chroniclers of the African diaspora, Higgins has spent more than five decades documenting the beauty, dignity, and sacredness of Black life around the world.

Joined by host Patrick A. Howell, Higgins reflects on the moments that transcend journalism and become acts of witness—capturing not simply what people looked like, but who they were, what they believed, and the unseen forces that connected them to their ancestors and to one another.

Together, they explore the meaning of sacred memory, the responsibility of artists as cultural stewards, the enduring influence of Gordon Parks, and the profound idea that every human being carries within them a divine story waiting to be seen.

This is not merely a conversation about photography. It is a meditation on spirit, purpose, remembrance, and the timeless power of seeing ourselves—and each other—with grace.

Global I Am. Wisdom & Grace.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados.

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

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Chester Higgins Jr. is not simply a photographer. He is one of the great visual historians of the Black world — a man whose lens transformed memory into sacred text. A longtime staff photographer for The New York Times for nearly four decades, Higgins captured the spiritual architecture of Black life with extraordinary dignity and force. His photographs of Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, and Amiri Baraka at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture remain among the most powerful visual records of Black intellect, movement, artistry and spirit. His work lives in museums, archives, history — and in the consciousness of a people still learning to see themselves whole. ()

The Chester Higgins episode of Global I Am is now produced. It still needs a touch more work on the production end — but already it breathes. Soulful. Profound. Brilliant. What began as one conversation became two episodes — a rare gift unfolding at the intersection of storytelling, photography, revolt, memory, and the apex of a master’s eye.

In this conversation, the lineage becomes clear. Gordon Parks became more than photographer; he became witness. Oracle. The Eye of Horus. The ancient Kemetic symbol of protection, healing, restoration — the eye wounded, then restored. Sun and moon. Spirit and return. Through that tradition, Chester Higgins does not merely photograph people. He illuminates them.

His lens is not mechanical. It is spiritual architecture.

Spirit. Soul. Excellence.

He has become that rare artist who transforms as he reveals — reminding us not only how we looked, but how we loved, endured, struggled, prayed, created, resisted, and remembered. His presence itself becomes an archive of grace.

Through Chester Higgins, we remember how to see one another again.

Sacred. In the Spirit. Renewed.

Global I Am.

Wisdom & Grace.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados.

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.

Send us Fan Mail

The Global I Am's Max Rodriguez welcomes PBS NewsHour anchor and acclaimed author Geoff Bennett for a candid conversation about his memoir Black Out Loud, the power of storytelling, and the role of journalism in strengthening democracy. Bennett reflects on the mentors, experiences, and defining moments that shaped his remarkable journey, offering insights on leadership, representation, and the importance of finding—and using—your voice.

Topics Include:

• The inspiration behind Black Out Loud
• Journalism, democracy, and public trust
• Mentorship and the power of representation
• Leadership through storytelling
• Race, identity, and the American experience
• Building bridges across communities and perspectives
• Finding your voice and using it with purpose

A thoughtful and timely discussion with one of America's most respected journalists on truth, leadership, and the stories that shape our lives.

The Culture. Our Capital.

Global I AM Conversations is an ongoing and archived podcasts of the world's builders, artists, entrepreneurs, thinkers, innovators, public servants, and cultural architects whose lives remind us that people—not capital—remain our greatest investment.

Hosted by Patrick A. Howell, Founder & CEO of Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). Co-hosts include Max Rodriguez of the Harlem Book Fair, Bill Huston of Crowd Max and Tara Frater, a wealth advisor and attorney in Barbados.

Discover more conversations, articles, podcasts and global stories at GMIQ.

"The future belongs to those who invest in humanity."

Global I AM Conversations
The Culture. Our Capital.
© Global Market Intelligence & Media (GMIQ). All Rights Reserved.