RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Pictures helped tell the stories of the Civil Rights Movement etching its place in America’s history.

Powerful images will do the same for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Photos make time stand still,” said Charles Crouch, a freelance photographer documenting social issues impacting the black community through his visual media company, 4C Visuals Group.

“It marks specific eras in history,” Crouch continued.

This era, the year 2020, has been marked with uprisings across the country and locally following the death of 46-year-old George Floyd, a black man who died while in the custody of the Minneapolis Police Department.

There were nights of unrest, but also support and solidarity all being captured through the lenses of a camera.

Crouch, who has only been shooting for three years, has been on the frontlines working to document these moments for future generations.

“I knew this was something I had to be apart of so I brought my camera out,” Crouch said.

Crouch has captured some sad moments and some sweet, like a proposal in the middle of a protest.

“That was the best photo I’ve ever taken,” said Crouch.

“That police officer took a knee in hate. Xavier, that future groom took a knee in love,” he continued.

Photographer Jessica Pridgen of Nina Mosley Art & Photography also spent several days documenting protests in Raleigh.

“I feel great about documenting this history, but not the circumstances,” said Pridgen.

She hopes her pictures reflect the struggles and strength expressed by the demonstrators who marched throughout downtown.

“I wanted to capture the spirit and the pain of the protesters and the people who were speaking. I do hope my image and what we are doing now does bring along radical change,” explained Pridgen.

“I hope when we tell our grandkids these stories we say this is a pivotal moment in time where things shifted. You actually saw things shift,” said Crouch.