James Edward Bates

James Edward “Jamie” Bates, a 2010 inductee into the MCJ Hall of Fame, is an accomplished photojournalist who currently works for The Sun Herald in Biloxi.  He began the interest in photojournalism while at Southern Miss majoring in another discipline.  Through the influences of mentors Ed Wheeler, USM Photojournalism professor, and Charles Moore, famed LIFE magazine photojournalist during the Civil Rights Movement, Bates began to see the power of documentary photography.  Bates’ work has appeared in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, U.S. News & World Report, Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People and many other publications.  Bates was named a finalist in the international 2002 Gordon Parks Photography Competition and was part of The Sun Herald team that was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  His recent focus has been on a project titled “Documentary the 21^st Century Ku Klux Klan,” which has been exhibited in France, England, and Scotland.

 

Ku Klux Klan Project (Photo Gallery)

A Chat with the President: Making Change Through Photography (Video)