Gordon Parks (1912–2006) was a groundbreaking Black American photographer, filmmaker, and writer whose work forever shaped American culture. Born in Fort Scott, Kansas, Parks grew up in poverty and experienced the harsh realities of segregation. Despite these challenges, he taught himself photography and used the camera as a tool for social change. His early photo essays revealed systemic racism and poverty, including his iconic American Gothic portrait of Ella Watson, a Black cleaning woman in Washington, D.C.

In 1948, Parks became the first Black staff photographer at Life magazine, where he documented civil rights struggles, urban life, and portraits of leading figures. His vision extended into film, directing The Learning Tree (1969), based on his youth in Fort Scott, and Shaft (1971), which transformed Hollywood’s representation of Black heroes. Today, the Fort Scott National Historic Site preserves the legacy of his hometown, where Parks’s story is honored as part of the broader Black American experience.

The Joy Trip Project celebrates American History. The Unhidden Minute is part of the Unhidden Podcast Project supported through a National Geographic Explorer Grant from the National Geographic Society, with the cooperation of the National Park Service. This series aims to elevate the untold stories of Black Americans who are too often left out of the stories share about our common national heritage.

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