Muhammad, Ozier
1950-present · Contribution: 1972-2014
Photojournalist
Shared the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for Newsday’s “Africa, the Desperate Continent” series documenting famine on the continent, then spent 22 years as a staff photographer for The New York Times covering Nelson Mandela’s inauguration, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath

Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Quick facts
- Born
- 1950, Chicago, Illinois
- Active since
- 1972
- Category
- Press & Photography
- Best known for
- Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer of African famine and 22 years at The New York Times
Impact on the world
Grandson of Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad and inspired by Gordon Parks, Muhammad carried Black documentary photography from Ebony into the highest ranks of mainstream photojournalism, bringing distant crises home for American readers.
Sources
- The Pulitzer Prizes
1 more sources and references are available to members.
Related visionaries
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Higgins, Chester Jr.
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Sleet, Moneta J. Jr.
1926-1996
Became the first African American man to win the Pulitzer Prize and the first person to win it while working for a Black-owned publication, awarded in 1969 for his photograph of Coretta Scott King at Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral