Charles White interacted with Freedomways journal more than any other publication. His work appeared on the covers of the journal on many occasions. It was the leading African-American theoretical, political and cultural journal of the 1960s–1980s, having been published between 1961 and 1985. Freedomways, which by 1970 represented itself as “A Quarterly Review of the Freedom Movement” (The word 'Negro' by now having been dropped from its masthead) remained unsurpassed in its embrace of, and attention to, African, African American and African Diasporic subjects. Each issue of Freedomways amounted to a treasure trove of texts and features, written by a distinguished range of scholars, academics, artists and writers.

This particular issue Vol. 6, No. 1 (First Quarter) 1966 was published when the Freedomways masthead declared it to be “A Quarterly Review of the Negro Movement”. The issue carried on its cover a detail of Nocturne, a charcoal drawing dating from 1960. When it was reproduced in Charles White's Images of Dignity (Ward Ritchie Press, 1967) the accompanying credit declared the drawing to be in the "Collection of the Estate of Lorraine Hansberry".

This particular issue of Freedomways contained four drawings by White, noted as follows: "Cover drawings by the well-known Negro artist, Charles White... Front Cover: Nocturne, Back Cover: I Had a Dream, Inside Front: Birmingham Totem Pole, Inside Back: Juba"