Photojournalism: “John A. Kouns” by LeRoy Chatfield
Photojournalism: “John A. Kouns”
Produced by LeRoy Chatfield
Publisher’s Note
John A. Kouns grew up in San Jose, California, became a U.S. Navy photographer during the Korean War, and later worked for a time with United Press International in San Francisco. Mr. Kouns says he freelanced for 30 years for food, and photographed the Civil Rights Movement and the Farmworker Movement for the soul. Fifty years later, we are the beneficiaries of his historical work presented in Syndic No.6 – Martin Luther King (Selma, Alabama); Robert F. Kennedy and Cesar Chavez (Delano, California). All dead now, two assassinated in the prime of their lives (1968) and one, at age 66 died (1993) after thirty-one years of struggle and sacrifice on behalf of farmworkers. King/Kennedy/ Chavez – all committed to nonviolence, to civil rights and social justice for the poor and oppressed. Because of John’s personal commitment – his labor of love – these American heroes live on today and reach out to those who would continue their work. – LeRoy Chatfield