[Lecture 1] The Man Who Lives On: The Legacy of Gordon Parks

Darlene Hine hails him “as the man to whom doors will never be closed,” Philip Brookman commemorates him for transforming his troubled past into uplifting experiences, Maren Stange and Deborah Willis praise him for his ceaseless passion, and Bob Black is wholly indebted to him. Gordon Parks is a legend and inspiration. The five-man panel pays tribute to this great historical and cultural figure and his undiminished influence on 20th century photography and film. Furthermore, he is esteemed the “Renaissance Man” for his self-taught talents as a photographer, writer, filmmaker, and composer.

Born in the relatively peaceful town of Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks was generally raised blind to the changing world around him. His keen sense of wandering and curiosity, however, eventually landed him in Chicago at an early age. It is in this city where he encountered poverty and racism to their fullest. These modes provided him with fruitful opportunities to challenge the radical developments occurring at the time, allowing him to launch his career, thereby earning him this celebratory status. The Great Migration (peaking in the 1920’s) resulted in the transitioning of nearly two million African Americans, most noticeably into the pivotal site of Chicago. Joining the ranks of other impoverished blacks in 1940, Parks shared and sympathized with their sorrow. In this way, poverty and racism actively shaped his identity and consciousness and became the foundation of his works.

Initially, Parks gained fame for his fashion shots which appeared in reputable magazines as “Vogue.” Shortly thereafter, eight years after his entry into Chicago, Parks was hired as the first African-American staff member of the prominent “Life” magazine. He had swiftly gained access into the influential world, ultimately escaping poverty. He became renowned for his countless photo-essays chronicling the tragic conditions in rural America, Harlem, and Rio de Janeiro.

Each of his projects seizes the truth of his subjects and carries immeasurable power in retelling their stories. This feat Parks accomplished by familiarizing himself with his subjects beforehand. For his “Harlem Gang Story” and “Flavio” series, by becoming immersed in the environment of his subjects, he more honestly photographed their stories. For instance, the manner in which Parks photographs “Red Jackson,” the infamous Harlem gang leader, subtly hints at a peculiar closeness to the subject. As such, the image softly blurs the line between photographer and person photographed. Parks’ remaining photographic works are dedicated to more historical figures as Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali. True to his title as the “Renaissance Man,” Parks also became the first African-American to produce and direct a major Hollywood film, adapted from his semi-autobiographical novel “The Learning Tree.”

Despite his contribution in exposing the plight of 20th century African-Americans, at times, Parks was frequently criticized for not being Black enough or being too Black. Nevertheless, through his photography, Gordon Parks broke many barriers within this dichotomy of black and white, poor and rich, and utilized his camera as a “weapon” to correct these wrongs.