Gordon Parks

American, 1912-2006

Gordon Parks was an American photographer, filmmaker, and writer whose work explored race, poverty, and social injustice throughout the 20th century. He is widely recognized for using photography as a form of activism, particularly during the civil rights era.

Born in Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks faced racial violence and poverty from a young age. After his mother’s death, he moved to Minnesota, where he experienced homelessness and continued discrimination. He worked a variety of jobs before teaching himself photography in 1937, inspired by images from the Farm Security Administration (FSA). His early fashion work earned him a Julius Rosenwald Fellowship and a position at the FSA in 1942.

Parks later worked for the Office of War Information, Standard Oil, Ebony, Vogue, and became the first Black staff photographer at Life magazine, where he remained until 1970. His photo essays often addressed race and inequality in America. His 1948 essay Harlem Gang Leader portrayed gang member Leonard “Red” Jackson with empathy and complexity, helping shift public perceptions. Parks also documented figures such as Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Stokely Carmichael, and the Black Panthers, creating a lasting visual archive of American civil rights history.