OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — A newly-released book highlights the groundbreaking life of Kansas-born photojournalist and filmmaker, Gordon Parks.
"Grit and Grace: Gordon Parks," by Overland Park resident Ann Parr chronicles Parks' life from birth to death.
He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas, in 1912.
By age 15, he had lost his mother and began experiencing homelessness.
But after buying a camera from a pawn shop, he taught himself photography and built his portfolio, first as a freelance photographer in Chicago and then as a photographer for the Farm Security Administration, documenting poverty in Washington D.C.
In 1948, he landed a job at Life Magazine, becoming the first Black photojournalist on staff there.
Throughout his life, his work primarily focused on issues of civil rights and poverty.
He also created portraits of famous figures like Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali.
Parr met Parks when she wrote about him for her Masters' thesis, and they remained friends until his death in 2006.
She says she hopes the book inspires people, particularly young Black kids, to follow their dreams.
"I hope they remember him for his tenacity," Parr said. "He was so open and so connecting. He didn't let anything get in the way of his being with another person. He was fully present. And to think about how he could do that, when he was dealing with racism and prejudice, and never knowing when a blow might come from any direction, verbally or physically. It's amazing."
Fort Scott celebrates Parks with a festival every October, hosted by the Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College.
In Kansas City, Gordon Parks Elementary school is named after him.
"Grit and Grace: Gordon Parks" can be purchased at the Black Archives of Mid-America or on Ann Parr's website.
