PSU presentation to explore impact of Gordon Parks

Oct. 13—PITTSBURG, Kan. — The impact and inspiration of three books by Gordon Parks, a native of Fort Scott, who became one of the most esteemed image makers of all time, will be discussed in a special presentation next week by Humanities Kansas.

The presentation, "Learning from Gordon Parks," will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, in the basement of Axe Library at Pittsburg State University. Parking is available in front of the library on Joplin Street and in the lot behind the library. Admission is free and open to the public.

In next week's presentation, Ann Dean will discuss "The Learning Tree," "A Choice of Weapons" and "Half Past Autumn," all books that help illustrate Parks' mother's teachings of love, dignity and hard work. Dean is an artist and freelance photographer who teaches photography classes at the Lawrence Art Center in Lawrence, Kansas.

Parks, a Black author, photographer and filmmaker born into poverty and segregation in 1912, would go on to become known on a national scale for his documentation of American life and culture.

Parks' 1948 photo essay on the life of a Harlem gang leader won him widespread acclaim and a position as the first African American staff photographer for Life, where he would work for two decades, taking photographs of legendary figures. His most famous photos would help rally support for the civil rights movement.

"I saw that the camera could be a weapon against poverty, against racism, against all sorts of social wrongs," Parks once said. "I knew at that point I had to have a camera."

"Learning from Gordon Parks" is part of Humanities Kansas' Speakers Bureau and "21st Century Civics," a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship.

The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas and the Friends of Leonard H. Axe Library.

Details: 620-235-4883.