In their view

The images of 10 African American photographers, some of who  shot photos in Los Angeles as far back as the late 1940s, will be  featured in a new show on exhibit through April 12 at the California  State University Northridge Art Galleries (CSUN).
Camera and  Community features photographs by 20 photographers form the college of  the CSUN Institute for Arts and media, which contains the archives of  the Black Photographers of California and the Black Gallery.
We were  the only and the largest black photo gallery west of the Mississippi,  said Maxie Floyd a long time photographer who was involved in the  founding and operation of the Black Gallery, and is one of the 10  African American photographers whose images will be included in the CSUN  show. When the Black Gallery existed, we were in contact with all the  working (black) photographers in the city, whether they were amateur,  semi-professional or professional. Every Wednesday we had a roundtable  where we featured photographers and other speakers.
The Black  Gallery also featured exhibits and served as a focal point for African  American photographers for almost 20 years before shutting its doors in  the Santa Barbara Plaza due to redevelopment efforts in the shopping  center, Floyd said.
Today the archives they amassed is housed at  CSUN, and many of its images will be shown during the exhibit. A lot  of black photographers who really worked the city are in the archives,  explained Floyd. Those pictures captured black life and are precious.
Among  the images will be one of the only white politicians to greet Martin  Luther King Jr., when he came to Los AngelesKenneth Hahn. The subjects  of the photographs range from personalities like King and Cesar Chavez  to ordinary people like the grounds crew at the Enterprise School  District. The geography covered by the shows 20 photographers ranges  from the San Fernando Valley in California, to the mountains of Columbia  to the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico.
The African American  photographers featured in the show include Harry Adams, Roland Charles,  Guy Crowder, Jack Davis, Bob Douglas, Joe Flowers, Floyd, James Jeffrey,  Bob Moore and Charles Williams.
The show will be accompanied by a  hard-back 90-page-plus catalog.
The public is invited to attend the  opening reception tomorrow from 5-7 p.m. which will feature music by  Gerald Wiggins and the CSUN Jazz Ensemble.
The main gallery is  located on North University Drive, and is open Mon.-Sat. noon- 4 p.m.  and Thursday noon-8 p.m. For information, contact the gallery at (818)  677-2226.