Gordon Parks might not be a name you recognize but you should. He died Tuesday at the age of 93 succumbing to cancer after living as full a life as any man can. Born in Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks was something of a renaissance man. He was critically acclaimed and accomplished with a camera working for the Farm Security Administration and became the first African American photographer for both the Office of War Administration during WWII and afterwards Life magazine (which published his famous photograph “American Gothic”). He covered the civil rights movement in both essays and pictures exposing racism, injustice, intolerance, and poverty. A beloved man by friends and family Parks chose the most powerful weapon available to him – his camera which he used to show a world in need of change. He also played professional baseball, wrote poetry, composed music both classical and contemporary, published an autobiographical novel The Learning Tree, and acted, wrote, and became one of the first African Americans to direct and even produce a Hollywood film. The man composed a ballet about Martin Luther King, Jr. and directed Shaft. His lifetime achievements include over twenty honorary doctorates and numerous awards including an Emmy Award, his International Photography Hall of Fame induction, and the 1988 National Medal of the Arts. In 1995 Parks donated his photographs and writings to the Library of Congress. For more on his photography check out this Library of Congress link.
Gordon Parks
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