"Capturing the Civil Rights Era Through the Lens of Gordon Parks"

Gordon Parks was a pioneer of U.S. documentary photojournalism over the course of the 20th century. Parks was attracted to photography at early age when he came across documentary photography of migrant workers published in a magazine.

Outside of his photography career, Parks was also recognized as renowned author, composer, and filmmaker. He used his talents to raise awareness of the beauty and complexities of urban life, and was the first African-American photographer to produce and direct motion pictures. Parks was wholeheartedly committed to social justice and the importance of documenting American culture.
In addition, he documented the American social landscape from the 1940s up until his death in 2006, with a focus on race relations, poverty, civil rights, and urban life. Here is a collection of powerful photographs that document the beauty and heartbreak of everyday life during the Civil Rights Era.

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Thornton, Mobile, Alabama, 1956

At Segregated Drinking Foundation, Mobile, Alabama, 1956

Airline Terminal, Atlanta, Georgia, 1956

Untitled, Washington, D.C., 1963

Department Store, Mobile, Alabama, 1956

Ondria Tanner and Her Grandmother Window-Shopping, Mobile, Alabama, 1956

Untitled, Shady Grove, Alabama, 1956

Untitled, Washington D.C., 1963

Untitled, Alabama, 1956

Stokley Carmichael in SNCC Office, Atlanta, Georgia, 1967

Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington, D.C., 1963

Untitled, New York, 1963