Gordon Parks Research:

  • Born November 30, 1912 in Fort Scott, Kansas
  • Full name Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks
  • First African American to produce and direct major motion pictures
  • Taught himself how to use a camera for photography
  • Known as one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century
  • Won the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1942, which led to a position in the photography section of the Farm Security Administration and later the Office of War Information.
  • Consistently explored the social and economical impact of poverty, racism, and other types of discrimination.
  • Freelance photographer for Glamour and Ebony
  • Wrote and directed “The Learning Tree” and “Shaft”