Upcoming photo exhibit “Black Behind Bars,” showcases throttle therapy in the black community
Apr 14, 2025
CHARLOTTE, NC- You know the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” and “Black Behind Bars: The Untold Story of Black Biker Culture,” has a lot to say. It’s the latest project from acclaimed photographer and Charlotte resident, Alvin C. Jacobs Jr. For him the project is personal
and a connection to his upbringing in Rockford, Illinois near the worlds oldest family owned Harley Davidson dealership. The exhibit goes beyond what you thought you knew about American bikers, large parts of the culture are black and beautiful,
“There’s always been this, this, this underlying feeling or this idea that we’re different. You know, they’re living life by their own terms,” says Jacobs of black bikers, “They’re doing what they want to do. There’s freedom there and we’ve embraced that.”
Jacobs says with that freedom comes a therapeutic sense of healing, “I didn’t really realize the freedom that throttle therapy gave me. I would be going through whatever I was going through throughout my life and throughout my day, and hopping on a motorcycle, hearing that engine, that roar, the connection between the ground, the the, the feeling of nature. There’s nothing around you. There’s no cage.”
Breaking barriers in a culture, Jacobs says is thriving. His influence on Charlotte culture is solidified in Abel Jackson’s mural, “Past, Present, Future,” on which he is featured.
Black Behind Bars, runs April 25th – September 21st 2025 at the Harvey B. Gantt Center.
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