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BBC NARRATOR:
He is a famous photographer,
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the only Negro cameraman
on LIFE magazine.
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He's a composer, an author,
and a film director.
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Among his friends
in the world of liberal arts,
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he's a success in his own right,
accepted on that basis.
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But he is still a Negro living
in America.
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Not every White American
has heard
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of the famous Gordon Parks.
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When I walked
into LIFE magazine, that uh,
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18 years ago...
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You see, a Negro--
Put it like this.
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A Negro builds up
a double defense.
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When you are a kid,
you have to prepare
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to be able to do much more
than a White boy,
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so that if the time comes
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where your talent
is pitted against a White man,
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you will get the nod because
they can't afford to lose you.
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The term,
"living in a White man's world"
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is one
I don't particularly like.
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A lot of Negroes use it,
a lot of Whites use it.
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But I consider this my world.
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♪ ("THIS WORLD"
BY CHARLES BRADLEY PLAYING) ♪
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♪ This world
Is going up in flames ♪
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♪ And nobody
Wanna take the blame ♪
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BLM PROTESTERS:
Hands up! Don't shoot!
Hands up! Don't shoot!
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♪ Don't tell me
How to live my life ♪
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♪ When you
Never felt the pain ♪
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♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
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♪ Ooh!
They don't hear me cry ♪
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♪ Ooh!
Oh, it's killing me ♪
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♪ A better world, oh baby! ♪
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♪ Gotta make it baby
Gotta make it right ♪
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♪ Baby! Oh! ♪
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♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
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(POLICE SIREN WAILING)
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COACH: Let's go, let's go,
let's go, let's go, let's go.
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DEVIN ALLEN: I only can imagine
if Gordon Parks was alive now.
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What he would be able to do.
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You know, to talk
about these serious issues.
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Always something
going on around here. (CHUCKLES)
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There you go, shorty.
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I had to make a lot
of mistakes, you know,
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to get to where I am now.
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♪ (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS) ♪
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ALLEN: I was hustling,
and I was in the streets.
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I lost like my first friend
at like 16, 17,
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due to gun violence, and that
kind of, like, changed my world.
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I wanted to really pursue art.
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So I would go
to Barnes & Noble,
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and just, like, have all these
photography books out.
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And I just would, like,
sit and look at Gordon's work,
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if it was him
shooting his stuff in Harlem.
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The story, the gang--
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that's still going
on to this day.
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I was like, "So I can
shoot all these things too.
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I'ma get me a camera."
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So it started off as
just a personal journey...
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(PROTESTORS CHANTING)
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...but as I got deep
into my career,
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that's when I really
started realizing
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how powerful an image can be.
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'Cause my career
is literally built on
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the broken back of Freddie Gray.
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REPORTER: The 25-year-old
falls into a coma
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at shock trauma
and dies seven days later.
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PROTESTERS:
Freddie! Freddie! Freddie!
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ALLEN: I knew how my city was,
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and the energy that was, like,
kinda vibrating.
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So I just took to the streets.
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PROTESTERS: No justice,
no peace! No racist police!
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ALLEN: When everything
really hit the fan
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is when we were down
in Camden Yards,
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and all the police were worried
about the fact
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that we had an Orioles game.
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Some fans at the bars were
actually calling us the N-word,
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they were calling us monkeys.
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And that's what actually
started everything.
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(CROWD SCREAMING)
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(GLASS SMASHING)
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ALLEN: And this guy runs past,
and he throws something,
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and I just snapped the picture.
I don't think nothing of it.
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I remember
just uploading the image
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while all of this was going on,
saying, "We're sick and tired."
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And around
that time, I get like
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a blocked call come through,
and he is like,
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"This is Olivier
from TIME magazine.
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I wanted to talk to Devin Allen
about his work in Baltimore.
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What publication are you with?"
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I'm like,
"I'm not with no publication."
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And I told them my story,
and we did a blog from it.
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I go to sleep. I wake up,
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and I just see all these, like,
tweets. And it says,
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"Amateur photographer
from West Baltimore
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snags the cover
of TIME magazine."
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And I just burst out in tears,
and I call my mother,
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and she burst out in tears,
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and my whole family
is just crying.
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For the first time, I understood
what Gordon was talking about,
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that the camera
is a real weapon,
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and I realized how powerful
I am with a camera in my hand.
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♪ (SOFT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
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GORDON PARKS:
I might have turned eventually
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to the gun or the knife
as a weapon to survive,
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but by then
I had chosen the camera.
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Photography was the way in which
I could express my own feelings
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about racism in America,
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about the downtrodden.
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And somehow or another, I might
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transcend my own experience.
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I live off of my emotions,
perhaps, you know.
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And so I had
turned those emotions
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into some mercenary thing,
by which I could survive.
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♪ (MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
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BRYAN STEVENSON:
What distinguishes Gordon Parks
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from a lot of other artists
is that he had
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a quintessentially authentic
Black experience.
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I mean, he was
the child of Black people
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who had fled enslavement.
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Growing up in Kansas,
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to be proximate to lynching
and racial terrorism,
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to understand the weight
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that people of color
felt in these spaces
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where you had
to basically be two people.
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One person around White people
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that would keep you safe,
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and another person
with your family.
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I think just gave him an insight
to the Black narrative.
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(INDISTINCT CHATTER)
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Boy, they sure are having
a good ol' time
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over there at that crap game.
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PARKS: Kansas itself offered you
freedom on one hand,
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and on the other hand, it was
trying to take it away from you.
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Tuck! Tuck! Kirky's coming!
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♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
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Run, Tuck, run!
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KIRKY: Stop damn it, I'll shoot!
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(GUNSHOT)
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♪ (TENSE MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
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PARKS: Four or five
of my closest friends
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had died through violence.
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About four people
were shot to death.
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My mother wanted me
out of there.
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She knew it was a
dangerous place for me to live.
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PHILIP BROOKMAN:
Gordon lived a wandering life
as a young person.
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He gets a job as a waiter
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on the dining car
of the Northern Pacific.
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PARKS: I had great expectations,
you know.
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I thought I was going
to conquer a new world.
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He had to go through getting
kicked off of the trains.
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He had to go through
hanging out with the bums.
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He had to go through all these
different forms of life,
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but when you're traveling
around the world
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and you're in a place where
you've never been before,
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the first thing
that you have to do is observe.
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And the more you observe,
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the more you understand
what's going on around you.
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JAMEL SHABAZZ:
He would ride the trains
and pick up the magazines,
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and look at imagery and be
informed behind that.
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Having an opportunity to go to
different cities,
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under some
really harsh conditions,
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just to survive
and being amongst the filth
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and the drunkenness
and addiction.
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Luckily for him,
he was able to get that camera.
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BROOKMAN: He's teaching
himself photography
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by reading, uh,
training manuals.
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His studio
was the kitchen of his home,
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and his lights
were made from tin cans.
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That's how Gordon Parks
started out, you know,
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making pictures and then
selling them to the newspaper.
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♪ (JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
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STEVENSON:
When Black photographers began
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capturing African American life,
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it created a new relationship
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00:09:05,166 --> 00:09:08,083
for Black people
to their own identity.
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When Gordon Parks came along,
he found value and interest
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and art in the lives
of ordinary people.
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AVA DUVERNAY:
At a time and in a society
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where Black people
were told far too often
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that we're criminals,
that we're ugly,
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that we're less worthy
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to have the spotlight on us
for any reason,
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Gordon put a lens
and a light on us for ourselves.
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And allowed us to see
the elegance of the lives
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that we live and the places
where we are.
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♪ (JAZZ MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
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BROOKMAN: In January 1942,
Parks receives word
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that he's been
awarded a fellowship
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to work for a year at
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00:09:58,458 --> 00:10:01,833
the Farm Security Administration
in Washington.
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The purpose of the FSA
was to resettle American farmers
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who had lost their land
during the Dust Bowl.
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♪ (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
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BROOKMAN: It set up a unit
of photographers and filmmakers
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00:10:16,875 --> 00:10:19,333
who could help to document
what they were doing.
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It was run by a man by
the name of Roy Stryker.
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MICHAL RAZ-RUSSO: Many of the
photographers who shot for
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the Farm Security Administration
become heroes for Gordon Parks,
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and he's really interested in
the process and their approach.
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And so his idea is,
"Let me go out there,
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00:10:39,583 --> 00:10:41,791
and let me
mentor under Roy Stryker."
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PARKS:
He was the one who taught me
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that when you are doing a story,
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it's not for you
to accept the people,
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00:10:51,666 --> 00:10:52,791
but the people to accept you.
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Because you are going
into their presence,
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asking them to help you.
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00:10:58,375 --> 00:11:01,416
BROOKMAN: Roy Stryker actually
introduces Gordon Parks
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to the cleaning woman,
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00:11:02,750 --> 00:11:06,125
who cleans the offices in
the Agriculture Department.
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00:11:09,083 --> 00:11:10,875
A woman by
the name of Ella Watson.
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He photographs her at work,
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00:11:14,291 --> 00:11:16,833
sweeping floors,
cleaning the offices.
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00:11:18,750 --> 00:11:21,333
In one office,
there's an American flag
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00:11:21,416 --> 00:11:22,583
hanging on the wall.
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00:11:25,750 --> 00:11:27,625
LONNIE BUNCH:
Here is a woman
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00:11:27,708 --> 00:11:30,375
who in some ways
is the backbone of America...
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00:11:32,583 --> 00:11:35,208
yet she is standing
in front of a flag,
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00:11:35,291 --> 00:11:38,208
in front of an America
that didn't believe in her.
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SPIKE LEE: Gordon Parks
is one of my heroes.
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00:11:46,125 --> 00:11:47,500
Ella Watson.
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00:11:47,583 --> 00:11:50,500
This photograph, to me,
talks about
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00:11:50,583 --> 00:11:51,958
how our ancestors,
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00:11:53,125 --> 00:11:55,625
from 1619,
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00:11:55,708 --> 00:11:59,958
when that first slave ship hit
Jamestown, Virginia.
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00:12:00,041 --> 00:12:03,208
We have fought and died
for this country.
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00:12:03,291 --> 00:12:08,500
We have loved this country, but
the love has not been returned.
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00:12:08,583 --> 00:12:11,166
That's what
this photograph says to me.
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00:12:13,708 --> 00:12:16,791
Then I thought of Grant Wood
and American Gothic.
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00:12:18,916 --> 00:12:20,625
I said,
"Take this broom in one hand,
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00:12:20,708 --> 00:12:22,125
take this mop in the other,
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00:12:22,208 --> 00:12:24,125
and stand before that
American flag."
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00:12:26,166 --> 00:12:27,250
I blew it up the next morning,
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00:12:27,333 --> 00:12:29,250
put it on Stryker's desk,
and he nearly fainted.
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00:12:29,333 --> 00:12:31,791
He said, "Oh my God, you're
going to get us all fired."
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00:12:35,250 --> 00:12:38,583
LATOYA RUBY FRAZIER:
She's standing in front
of the American flag...
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00:12:40,041 --> 00:12:42,666
in a society, a nation,
and a government
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00:12:42,750 --> 00:12:48,541
that doesn't recognize her
as a full human being.
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00:12:48,625 --> 00:12:52,958
PARKS: I made a very innocent,
bold, outrageous statement.
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00:12:57,541 --> 00:13:00,583
FRAZIER: You know, it reminds me
of the Malcolm X quote,
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00:13:00,666 --> 00:13:02,791
"The most hated,
the most mistreated,
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00:13:02,875 --> 00:13:06,833
and the most abused person
in America is the Black woman."
242
00:13:06,916 --> 00:13:09,541
There it is right there,
written on her face.
243
00:13:11,041 --> 00:13:14,166
♪ (SOMBER MUSIC FADES) ♪
244
00:13:14,250 --> 00:13:16,541
BROOKMAN: Parks continues
to photograph Ella Watson.
245
00:13:16,625 --> 00:13:18,166
♪ (WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS) ♪
246
00:13:18,250 --> 00:13:21,125
BROOKMAN: He worked with her
for a period of weeks.
247
00:13:21,208 --> 00:13:24,875
He photographs her at church,
he photographs her neighborhood.
248
00:13:24,958 --> 00:13:26,708
There is one amazing photograph
249
00:13:26,791 --> 00:13:28,916
that he makes
of Ella Watson at home.
250
00:13:30,291 --> 00:13:32,208
The photograph is divided
right down the middle,
251
00:13:32,291 --> 00:13:34,958
and you see Ella Watson
on the left side,
252
00:13:35,041 --> 00:13:37,916
helping to feed
one of the young kids.
253
00:13:38,000 --> 00:13:40,666
On the right side of the picture
there is a mirror,
254
00:13:40,750 --> 00:13:44,208
and her adopted daughter is
reflected in the mirror.
255
00:13:45,583 --> 00:13:47,666
You can see, also a photograph,
256
00:13:47,750 --> 00:13:51,083
it's a photograph
of Ella Watson's parents.
257
00:13:51,166 --> 00:13:54,166
So you're actually seeing four
generations of this family,
258
00:13:54,250 --> 00:13:55,541
all in one photograph
259
00:13:55,625 --> 00:13:58,541
that's composed in a very
sophisticated way.
260
00:14:01,125 --> 00:14:03,250
RAZ-RUSSO: That's
the turning point for him.
261
00:14:03,333 --> 00:14:05,708
It's there,
through this project,
262
00:14:05,791 --> 00:14:08,125
that he understands
how important it is
263
00:14:08,208 --> 00:14:10,000
to get to know his subject.
264
00:14:10,083 --> 00:14:12,416
To really try and depict
the humanity
265
00:14:12,500 --> 00:14:14,000
of the subjects
that he is photographing.
266
00:14:14,083 --> 00:14:17,541
♪ (MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
267
00:14:25,541 --> 00:14:28,291
-(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
-(BIRDS CHIRPING)
268
00:14:29,583 --> 00:14:31,375
MR. SMILEY: This is his way
of holding on to me,
269
00:14:31,458 --> 00:14:34,166
and I don't spend
enough time with him. (CHUCKLES)
270
00:14:35,541 --> 00:14:38,750
He says, "I got you now,
can't go nowhere." (CHUCKLES)
271
00:14:38,833 --> 00:14:41,291
-FRAZIER: "What do you mean?"
-MR. SMILEY: Yeah,
what you been doing?
272
00:14:41,375 --> 00:14:43,250
Leave me out here all by myself.
273
00:14:44,208 --> 00:14:46,625
FRAZIER: Look this way,
Mr. Smiley.
274
00:14:46,708 --> 00:14:50,583
When I read
Gordon's autobiography,
A Choice of Weapons,
275
00:14:50,666 --> 00:14:52,833
I mean, everything
that he went through
276
00:14:52,916 --> 00:14:56,750
to define himself
on his own terms
277
00:14:56,833 --> 00:14:58,750
and to say with the camera,
278
00:14:58,833 --> 00:15:01,416
"This is how I am going
to make my mark and change
279
00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:04,916
all the things that I don't like
about America, right."
280
00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:08,625
It stays with me
because I grew up
281
00:15:08,708 --> 00:15:13,000
living in a dilapidated house
next to the railroad
282
00:15:13,083 --> 00:15:15,250
in an industrial small town,
283
00:15:15,333 --> 00:15:19,000
watching everyone kind of
disappear and the city shrink
284
00:15:19,083 --> 00:15:22,625
and have all our basic
human rights stripped from us.
285
00:15:22,708 --> 00:15:25,208
♪ (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
286
00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:34,166
FRAZIER: I found the ability
to cope and move forward
through art.
287
00:15:34,250 --> 00:15:36,708
Right, it started out being
drawings and paintings
288
00:15:36,791 --> 00:15:39,083
and then eventually moving
into photography.
289
00:15:44,875 --> 00:15:47,750
Those photographs
are what enabled me
290
00:15:47,833 --> 00:15:49,666
to save my own life.
291
00:15:59,125 --> 00:16:03,791
In 2016, I was commissioned
by ELLE magazine
292
00:16:03,875 --> 00:16:08,208
and Hearst Corporation
to produce a photo essay
293
00:16:08,291 --> 00:16:10,541
about the Flint water crisis.
294
00:16:10,625 --> 00:16:13,750
REPORTER 1: It's not safe
to drink the water
in Flint, Michigan.
295
00:16:13,833 --> 00:16:16,375
REPORTER 2: Flint disconnected
its water supply through Detroit
296
00:16:16,458 --> 00:16:19,250
and began drawing water
from the Flint River instead.
297
00:16:19,333 --> 00:16:23,000
REPORTER 3: Highly corrosive
river water flowed through
the city's lead pipes,
298
00:16:23,083 --> 00:16:26,458
leaching lead into
the water supply.
299
00:16:26,541 --> 00:16:29,833
FRAZIER: That's how
Shea Cobb and I met
300
00:16:29,916 --> 00:16:33,666
and how I've built
this very robust friendship.
301
00:16:33,750 --> 00:16:37,750
It was for several months
that I was photographing Shea
302
00:16:37,833 --> 00:16:39,875
and her
eight-year-old daughter, Zion.
303
00:16:42,333 --> 00:16:45,916
And Shea was faced
with having to decide
304
00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:48,458
to protect
her daughter's health,
305
00:16:48,541 --> 00:16:52,500
and the issue with lead is,
in an eight-year-old child,
306
00:16:52,583 --> 00:16:54,958
it's going to
leach into their brain.
307
00:16:56,333 --> 00:16:57,708
It couldn't have been
more than a week
308
00:16:57,791 --> 00:17:00,833
that I was photographing
Shea in Flint.
309
00:17:00,916 --> 00:17:02,958
She said her father
sent her something.
310
00:17:04,541 --> 00:17:07,416
And it's a picture of
her at the age of 12,
311
00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:11,375
taking her first sip of water
from a freshwater spring
312
00:17:11,458 --> 00:17:15,375
on the land where
her father lives in Mississippi,
313
00:17:16,750 --> 00:17:18,375
with a message that said,
314
00:17:18,458 --> 00:17:21,083
"This water won't kill you.
Come home."
315
00:17:22,833 --> 00:17:26,541
And so she makes the
decision to leave her mother
316
00:17:26,625 --> 00:17:31,083
and make the reverse migration
back to the South,
317
00:17:31,166 --> 00:17:32,791
where her father lives,
318
00:17:32,875 --> 00:17:36,666
on land that his family
has always owned.
319
00:17:36,750 --> 00:17:39,333
Oh wow!
He's gotten so much bigger.
320
00:17:39,416 --> 00:17:42,791
This is the one that
I was seeing that was a baby?
321
00:17:42,875 --> 00:17:47,041
When I started doing
karate moves, like to practice,
he thinks he can do it,
322
00:17:47,125 --> 00:17:50,333
so he holds onto stuff
and then fell flat on his butt.
323
00:17:50,416 --> 00:17:52,041
FRAZIER:
So I returned to Mississippi
324
00:17:52,125 --> 00:17:53,916
to continue a body of work
325
00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:57,708
that I'm committed to
with Shea Cobb,
326
00:17:57,791 --> 00:18:01,375
her daughter Zion,
who's now 12,
327
00:18:01,458 --> 00:18:06,125
and Shea's father,
Mr. Doug Smiley.
328
00:18:07,916 --> 00:18:11,416
MR. SMILEY:
Thank you, Lord, for this food
and all of our many blessings.
329
00:18:11,500 --> 00:18:14,833
-Thank you.
-ALL: Amen.
330
00:18:14,916 --> 00:18:19,625
FRAZIER: And so it was
a tumultuous time
to enter into Shea's life,
331
00:18:19,708 --> 00:18:21,625
and she didn't
have to trust me,
332
00:18:21,708 --> 00:18:24,166
but I think
it goes back to Gordon.
333
00:18:24,250 --> 00:18:26,791
You need to be present
334
00:18:26,875 --> 00:18:30,541
and talk to people
for as long as it takes.
335
00:18:32,375 --> 00:18:36,625
I get to know the person that is
the main subject of the work,
336
00:18:36,708 --> 00:18:39,291
and I learn to empathize...
337
00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:45,250
and also allow their feelings
to guide me through
338
00:18:45,333 --> 00:18:47,333
the landscape that they inhabit.
339
00:18:49,208 --> 00:18:51,791
This was, you know,
a real lesson
340
00:18:51,875 --> 00:18:53,291
about not only empathizing
341
00:18:53,375 --> 00:18:57,333
but listening and taking
the instructions
and allowing the images
342
00:18:57,416 --> 00:18:59,083
to be authored by someone else.
343
00:18:59,166 --> 00:19:01,583
Like,
that's a real collaboration.
344
00:19:01,666 --> 00:19:04,083
And I also knew
to take those cues
345
00:19:04,166 --> 00:19:08,958
because I had been
closely looking at Ralph Ellison
346
00:19:09,041 --> 00:19:13,666
and Gordon Parks's collaboration
in the late '40s.
347
00:19:13,750 --> 00:19:18,541
♪ (UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
348
00:19:18,625 --> 00:19:21,541
PARKS: Ralph Ellison wrote
Invisible Man.
349
00:19:21,625 --> 00:19:25,958
I did a story on the need
of psychiatric treatment
in Harlem.
350
00:19:31,375 --> 00:19:33,833
Ellison actually
writes a manifesto
351
00:19:33,916 --> 00:19:36,750
for Gordon Parks
titled the "Pictorial Problem."
352
00:19:38,583 --> 00:19:41,041
He wants
the photographs to function
353
00:19:41,125 --> 00:19:43,833
as both document and symbol.
354
00:19:43,916 --> 00:19:47,208
And this phrase becomes
a kind of guiding principle
355
00:19:47,291 --> 00:19:49,208
for Gordon Parks's
entire career.
356
00:19:53,125 --> 00:19:57,666
This idea that photographs
can transcend what is
just being depicted.
357
00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:04,750
FRAZIER: Ellison details a list
of certain kinds of images
358
00:20:04,833 --> 00:20:07,250
that he would like
Parks to make.
359
00:20:09,166 --> 00:20:13,916
Images that psychologically
impact the viewer.
360
00:20:16,541 --> 00:20:17,625
The feeling of a place
361
00:20:17,708 --> 00:20:21,333
and the feeling of being robbed
and dehumanized...
362
00:20:23,166 --> 00:20:26,500
in an undulating poetic
visual way.
363
00:20:29,875 --> 00:20:33,500
RAZ-RUSSO: Later in 1952,
Parks approaches Ralph Ellison.
364
00:20:33,583 --> 00:20:36,083
Ellison had just published
Invisible Man,
365
00:20:36,166 --> 00:20:38,750
and he says, "Let's create
another collaboration
366
00:20:38,833 --> 00:20:40,666
to celebrate the publication."
367
00:20:43,500 --> 00:20:46,333
They go out on
the streets once again
and they create photographs
368
00:20:46,416 --> 00:20:49,250
that represent nearly
every single scene in the book.
369
00:20:55,333 --> 00:20:58,000
LEE: This picture could
have been taken during slavery.
370
00:20:58,083 --> 00:20:59,625
We're all tryna watch out
371
00:20:59,708 --> 00:21:01,791
for the motherfuckin'
slave catchers.
372
00:21:02,833 --> 00:21:07,041
And my brother here
ran off the plantation.
373
00:21:08,250 --> 00:21:10,625
And he's running for his life.
374
00:21:14,708 --> 00:21:17,958
♪ (UPBEAT JAZZ MUSIC FADES) ♪
375
00:21:18,041 --> 00:21:21,791
Parks takes the portfolio
of images that he shot
376
00:21:21,875 --> 00:21:25,333
for his collaboration
with Ralph Ellison in 1948
377
00:21:25,416 --> 00:21:26,958
to LIFE magazine,
378
00:21:27,041 --> 00:21:29,708
to pitch them a story
about a Harlem gang leader.
379
00:21:32,625 --> 00:21:34,958
BUNCH: LIFE magazine
was the Bible.
380
00:21:36,625 --> 00:21:39,291
People read the newspapers,
listened to the radio.
381
00:21:39,375 --> 00:21:44,208
But for many people,
it really was LIFE magazine
that helped them understand
382
00:21:44,291 --> 00:21:46,041
what was going on in America.
383
00:21:46,125 --> 00:21:47,416
PARKS:
I met the picture editor,
384
00:21:47,500 --> 00:21:50,416
who offered me
the great sum of 500 dollars
385
00:21:50,500 --> 00:21:52,000
to do the Harlem gang story.
386
00:21:53,750 --> 00:21:55,708
When I walked out of there,
I was frightened.
387
00:21:55,791 --> 00:21:59,333
How do you walk in and ask
the gang leader to let me
photograph your life
388
00:21:59,416 --> 00:22:00,875
when he's hiding
from the police?
389
00:22:03,291 --> 00:22:04,833
I used the broad approach
390
00:22:04,916 --> 00:22:06,875
when I first went up
to the police precinct
391
00:22:06,958 --> 00:22:09,875
and asked one of the detectives
if they knew such a gang leader.
392
00:22:09,958 --> 00:22:11,708
And they said,
"Yeah, we know plenty of them,
393
00:22:11,791 --> 00:22:13,625
but none of them gonna
let you photograph them."
394
00:22:15,208 --> 00:22:17,708
While I was in the precinct,
a young man walked in,
395
00:22:17,791 --> 00:22:21,750
and he literally cursed
the desk sergeant out
about something.
396
00:22:21,833 --> 00:22:25,166
And so I said
to my detective friend,
"Who is that guy?"
397
00:22:25,250 --> 00:22:29,625
He said, "That is
the most notorious gang leader
in all of Harlem."
398
00:22:32,375 --> 00:22:33,750
His name was Red Jackson.
399
00:22:33,833 --> 00:22:35,625
I told him
I was from LIFE magazine.
400
00:22:35,708 --> 00:22:38,083
I want to do a story on him,
very bluntly, you know.
401
00:22:38,166 --> 00:22:40,125
That's the way I got
into that story.
402
00:22:45,708 --> 00:22:47,250
I didn't take pictures
in the beginning.
403
00:22:47,333 --> 00:22:49,875
I just sort of sat with them
on the stoop in Harlem
404
00:22:49,958 --> 00:22:53,541
in the hot summer days
and listened to their talk.
405
00:22:53,625 --> 00:22:55,541
♪ (SOFT JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
406
00:22:58,041 --> 00:23:00,458
PARKS: So one day he just said,
407
00:23:00,541 --> 00:23:02,666
"When are you going
to use your camera?"
408
00:23:02,750 --> 00:23:07,208
I said, "Oh, you know,
anytime something happens."
409
00:23:10,708 --> 00:23:14,666
This is like what he learned
from the Farm Security
Administration project
410
00:23:14,750 --> 00:23:16,416
he does with Ella Watson.
411
00:23:16,500 --> 00:23:19,250
He knows that he has to get
to know somebody really well
412
00:23:19,333 --> 00:23:20,250
and spend time with them.
413
00:23:20,333 --> 00:23:21,916
Red was a little apprehensive,
414
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:24,250
but they built
this great bond with each other,
415
00:23:24,333 --> 00:23:27,166
and Gordon recognized
his leadership ability,
416
00:23:27,250 --> 00:23:30,625
and they developed
a really unique relationship.
417
00:23:30,708 --> 00:23:33,666
PARKS: I stayed with his gang
about three months.
418
00:23:36,791 --> 00:23:40,333
MAURICE BERGER:
He photographed Red
in his everyday life.
419
00:23:40,416 --> 00:23:42,875
Being with his mother
in the kitchen cooking,
420
00:23:42,958 --> 00:23:44,375
washing the dishes,
421
00:23:46,166 --> 00:23:49,041
sitting with his brother while
his brother was reading.
422
00:23:50,083 --> 00:23:53,333
RAZ-RUSSO: His goal was
to create a story
423
00:23:53,416 --> 00:23:55,291
from an insider point of view.
424
00:23:57,666 --> 00:23:59,958
BUNCH:
He added levels of complexity
425
00:24:00,041 --> 00:24:04,125
and levels of understanding,
that you might not have gotten
in other photography.
426
00:24:06,916 --> 00:24:09,250
No one's a gangster
24 hours a day.
427
00:24:10,958 --> 00:24:12,916
Everyone who is a gangster
has a family.
428
00:24:17,541 --> 00:24:19,875
BROOKMAN:
He also photographs him
out on the streets...
429
00:24:21,041 --> 00:24:22,166
with members of his gang.
430
00:24:24,833 --> 00:24:26,958
He photographs
fights and violence.
431
00:24:28,833 --> 00:24:32,708
So it's a really interesting
look at the life of a young,
432
00:24:32,791 --> 00:24:34,291
you know, gang leader.
433
00:24:36,375 --> 00:24:39,375
PARKS: Two boys were killed
while I was with him.
434
00:24:39,458 --> 00:24:43,958
There's one picture in
the LIFE story of Herbie
lying in his coffin.
435
00:24:44,041 --> 00:24:46,708
He'd been stabbed in the neck
and parts of his head.
436
00:24:48,708 --> 00:24:52,666
And Red picked Herbie's head up
and felt the wounds,
437
00:24:52,750 --> 00:24:55,208
and said, "We're going
to do the same thing to them."
438
00:24:56,916 --> 00:24:59,500
SHABAZZ: I think that Gordon saw
himself in Red Jackson.
439
00:24:59,583 --> 00:25:01,541
Because if Gordon didn't pick
up the camera,
440
00:25:01,625 --> 00:25:03,416
he could have
easily been Red Jackson.
441
00:25:04,750 --> 00:25:07,416
He just saw a young man
that had a lot of potential.
442
00:25:07,500 --> 00:25:10,083
He was a leader.
He saw he didn't have a father.
443
00:25:10,166 --> 00:25:13,750
At the same time,
trying to show him in a light
444
00:25:13,833 --> 00:25:17,208
that will illuminate some
of the problems
that existed in Harlem
445
00:25:17,291 --> 00:25:20,666
in regards to poverty
and gang warfare and injustice.
446
00:25:28,166 --> 00:25:29,791
SHABAZZ:
How y'all feeling today?
447
00:25:29,875 --> 00:25:31,541
I like that outfit there,
young man.
448
00:25:31,625 --> 00:25:34,625
Can I borrow that jacket? Wow,
I like that haircut too, troop.
449
00:25:34,708 --> 00:25:36,500
Who hooked you up?
All right, here we go.
450
00:25:36,583 --> 00:25:38,125
I'm gonna say showtime,
and let's do it.
451
00:25:38,208 --> 00:25:39,208
You guys are ready?
452
00:25:39,291 --> 00:25:40,708
'Cause I think you guys are
gonna be famous.
453
00:25:40,791 --> 00:25:42,250
All right, here we go. Ready?
454
00:25:42,333 --> 00:25:44,666
-All right, look at me.
I think you guys got it.
-(CAMERA CLICKING)
455
00:25:44,750 --> 00:25:47,833
Gordon spoke about
the power of photography
and imagery
456
00:25:47,916 --> 00:25:51,250
and how you could use the
camera as a weapon.
457
00:25:51,333 --> 00:25:55,000
It's through
the photography that I want
to really express myself.
458
00:25:55,083 --> 00:25:58,791
That gave me a voice
'cause prior to that I was lost.
459
00:25:58,875 --> 00:26:01,916
I fell victim to the streets,
but once I picked up the camera,
460
00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:03,291
it became my compass.
461
00:26:04,875 --> 00:26:06,375
I have a tool that I can use,
462
00:26:06,458 --> 00:26:08,000
not only to document
the community
463
00:26:08,083 --> 00:26:09,708
but to save lives
at the same time.
464
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,250
Gordon spoke
about the 35 millimeter
465
00:26:13,333 --> 00:26:15,541
and how it could be
a more effective weapon.
466
00:26:15,625 --> 00:26:17,083
And that really resonated
with me
467
00:26:17,166 --> 00:26:18,666
because I grew up
in a gun culture,
468
00:26:18,750 --> 00:26:21,250
you know with the
nine millimeters.
469
00:26:21,333 --> 00:26:23,500
It was the empathy that he had
for his subjects
470
00:26:23,583 --> 00:26:25,500
that I thought was
really powerful.
471
00:26:25,583 --> 00:26:28,375
You had Red Jackson,
his difficult life coming up.
472
00:26:29,916 --> 00:26:31,958
Gordon just wanted
to be like a mentor and a guide.
473
00:26:34,333 --> 00:26:36,916
I spent 20 years in
the Department of Corrections.
474
00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,041
When the opportunity came
to work on Rikers Island,
475
00:26:40,125 --> 00:26:42,083
I accepted it
as my new assignment.
476
00:26:42,166 --> 00:26:46,375
NEWS REPORTER:
Crack is causing an increase in
murder and other violent crime.
477
00:26:46,458 --> 00:26:48,625
SHABAZZ: This is right around
the same time
478
00:26:48,708 --> 00:26:50,166
that the crack epidemic hit.
479
00:26:51,375 --> 00:26:52,625
So now I'm in this space,
480
00:26:52,708 --> 00:26:55,041
and I'm seeing
the impact of drugs
481
00:26:55,125 --> 00:26:56,875
and the lack of
rehabilitation.
482
00:26:58,208 --> 00:27:00,500
I'm taking my camera
to the job every day.
483
00:27:00,583 --> 00:27:02,125
I'm documenting
the world inside.
484
00:27:02,208 --> 00:27:04,875
I'm witnessing
brutality and hatred.
485
00:27:04,958 --> 00:27:08,208
I felt it was my responsibility
to talk to young people
486
00:27:08,291 --> 00:27:09,333
about what was going on
487
00:27:09,416 --> 00:27:11,000
because a lot of young men
were dying
488
00:27:11,083 --> 00:27:12,833
at the hands of other young men.
489
00:27:12,916 --> 00:27:15,708
And I was very troubled by
what I was seeing.
490
00:27:15,791 --> 00:27:18,208
So I would place myself
in different positions
491
00:27:18,291 --> 00:27:20,833
where young people would be at,
and I would approach them.
492
00:27:23,250 --> 00:27:26,291
If I saw a group, I would look
at the leader and say,
493
00:27:26,375 --> 00:27:28,708
"You know, with all due respect,
I'm a photographer,
494
00:27:28,791 --> 00:27:30,250
when I look at you,
I see greatness.
495
00:27:30,333 --> 00:27:32,500
If you don't mind, I'd like to
take a photograph
496
00:27:32,583 --> 00:27:33,791
of you and your crew."
497
00:27:36,083 --> 00:27:37,666
And then I would start
posing them.
498
00:27:37,750 --> 00:27:39,125
And then
they would create poses.
499
00:27:39,208 --> 00:27:40,708
and the poses gave it life.
500
00:27:41,916 --> 00:27:44,125
♪ (JOYFUL MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
501
00:27:45,791 --> 00:27:49,250
SHABAZZ: Once the film roll
was completed, I would put
the film in the shop,
502
00:27:49,333 --> 00:27:52,291
I would come back in an hour,
and I would go back to the
location,
503
00:27:52,375 --> 00:27:53,791
I would give out prints.
504
00:27:57,500 --> 00:27:59,916
It let them know that
they weren't invisible.
505
00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,500
As kids, we could
just tear each other down.
506
00:28:02,583 --> 00:28:04,500
I use the camera
to build people up
507
00:28:04,583 --> 00:28:06,125
and let people feel special.
508
00:28:15,041 --> 00:28:16,500
A lot of them
were really receptive
509
00:28:16,583 --> 00:28:18,875
to hearing what I was saying
'cause I'm speaking in real
time.
510
00:28:18,958 --> 00:28:21,041
Just a few hours ago,
I was on Rikers Island,
511
00:28:21,125 --> 00:28:23,125
and I witnessed, you know,
people getting stabbed
512
00:28:23,208 --> 00:28:25,208
and individuals that thought
that they can handle it,
513
00:28:25,291 --> 00:28:26,958
and they couldn't.
And they would listen.
514
00:28:27,041 --> 00:28:31,000
So I was trying to
encourage them to be better.
You know, I didn't want to see
515
00:28:31,083 --> 00:28:33,708
no more
of these young men incarcerated.
516
00:28:34,708 --> 00:28:37,625
♪ (JOYFUL MUSIC FADES) ♪
517
00:28:37,708 --> 00:28:40,958
I owe a lot of
where I'm at right now to Gordon
518
00:28:41,041 --> 00:28:43,916
because we didn't have a lot
of Black photographers
to mirror,
519
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:47,333
you know, when I was coming up.
Gordon was that pathfinder.
520
00:28:49,833 --> 00:28:51,916
NARRATOR: LIFE magazine
is the headquarters
521
00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:53,708
for photographer Gordon Parks
522
00:28:53,791 --> 00:28:55,250
on the staff of the popular
523
00:28:55,333 --> 00:28:58,291
pictorial news magazine
since 1949.
524
00:28:58,375 --> 00:29:01,583
And a man who stands
at the top of his profession.
525
00:29:01,666 --> 00:29:03,375
BROOKMAN:
Because of the success of
526
00:29:03,458 --> 00:29:06,916
"Harlem Gang Leader",
Parks was hired onto the staff
527
00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:10,041
as the first African American
photographer at LIFE,
528
00:29:10,125 --> 00:29:12,750
which was a really big deal.
529
00:29:12,833 --> 00:29:17,166
This was entry into the media
that was seen internationally.
530
00:29:17,250 --> 00:29:19,833
NARRATOR: Parks's work
is amongst the finest
in a magazine,
531
00:29:19,916 --> 00:29:21,833
noted for
photographic excellence.
532
00:29:21,916 --> 00:29:25,166
BERGER: By the mid-1950s,
Parks had already become,
533
00:29:25,250 --> 00:29:28,500
for want of a better word,
very established.
534
00:29:28,583 --> 00:29:32,916
JELANI COBB: He really does have
that internally solid
535
00:29:33,000 --> 00:29:35,375
perseverance kind of
quality to him.
536
00:29:37,541 --> 00:29:39,708
PARKS:
I've tried to use the camera
537
00:29:39,791 --> 00:29:41,750
to sort of
correct the things that
538
00:29:41,833 --> 00:29:45,541
I experienced as a young Black
man coming up in America.
539
00:29:46,916 --> 00:29:49,250
COBB:
And then with all that
540
00:29:49,333 --> 00:29:52,333
Black people
were confronting at that point,
541
00:29:52,416 --> 00:29:55,333
it requires a great deal
of temerity
542
00:29:55,416 --> 00:29:59,000
to say that you're going
to change that with your camera.
543
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:07,541
BERGER:
In 1956, LIFE sent Gordon
to Alabama
544
00:30:07,625 --> 00:30:12,000
to do a story about segregation
in the Jim Crow South.
545
00:30:14,666 --> 00:30:17,375
KHALIL MUHAMMAD:
Dispatches coming out
of the south
546
00:30:17,458 --> 00:30:21,500
are the usual reporting
on racial violence.
547
00:30:23,750 --> 00:30:27,000
COBB:
In 1955, just months before
548
00:30:27,083 --> 00:30:29,500
Gordon Parks traveled
to Alabama,
549
00:30:29,583 --> 00:30:33,250
Emmett Till was
brutally tortured and killed
550
00:30:33,333 --> 00:30:34,833
in Money, Mississippi.
551
00:30:37,416 --> 00:30:39,958
If the death of my son
can mean something
552
00:30:40,041 --> 00:30:43,250
to the other unfortunate people
all over the world,
553
00:30:43,333 --> 00:30:46,708
then for him
to have died a hero
554
00:30:46,791 --> 00:30:50,666
would mean more to me
than for him just to have died.
555
00:30:50,750 --> 00:30:54,250
COBB: His mother Mamie allowed
Jet magazine to publish
556
00:30:54,333 --> 00:30:58,833
the images of his defiled,
desecrated body.
557
00:31:02,083 --> 00:31:04,708
I saw Emmett Till's
photograph in Jet magazine.
558
00:31:07,541 --> 00:31:08,958
I'll never forget it.
559
00:31:10,750 --> 00:31:12,208
I still get very emotional.
560
00:31:14,625 --> 00:31:17,500
I was eight years old
when Emmett Till was murdered
561
00:31:17,583 --> 00:31:19,458
and I didn't...
I-- Wh-- What--
562
00:31:19,541 --> 00:31:21,833
What was that all about?
I couldn't understand it.
563
00:31:24,541 --> 00:31:26,625
COBB: That photograph
was really evidence
564
00:31:26,708 --> 00:31:27,875
of what could happen to you
565
00:31:27,958 --> 00:31:30,416
as a Black person
in the deep South,
566
00:31:30,500 --> 00:31:32,708
and that was the world
that Gordon Parks
567
00:31:32,791 --> 00:31:35,208
was stepping into in 1956.
568
00:31:41,708 --> 00:31:45,083
Gordon liked to embody
whatever subject
569
00:31:45,166 --> 00:31:47,208
he had been asked
by his editors
570
00:31:47,291 --> 00:31:50,666
to represent in a family.
571
00:31:50,750 --> 00:31:53,125
Because he knew that the readers
of LIFE magazine
572
00:31:53,208 --> 00:31:56,916
would be innately sympathetic
to the circumstances of a child,
573
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:58,708
of a family, and of a community.
574
00:32:01,208 --> 00:32:03,583
Those photographs had
tremendous impact
575
00:32:03,666 --> 00:32:05,333
partly because of the color.
576
00:32:08,750 --> 00:32:12,041
At that time,
a searing photo essay
in the pages of LIFE
577
00:32:12,125 --> 00:32:14,458
was practically expected
to be in black and white.
578
00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:23,666
STEVENSON: He wanted that color
to implicate people seeing this,
579
00:32:23,750 --> 00:32:28,125
so that they would understand
this is your America right now.
580
00:32:31,625 --> 00:32:34,333
People were told
that segregation was benign.
581
00:32:34,416 --> 00:32:36,500
It's okay,
Black people want it.
582
00:32:36,583 --> 00:32:37,916
That's not what you see
583
00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:41,125
when you see his images
and the hurt and the exclusion
584
00:32:41,208 --> 00:32:42,916
that these families present.
585
00:32:45,208 --> 00:32:48,333
These children are
literally excluded by this fence
586
00:32:48,416 --> 00:32:50,833
that they cannot pass.
587
00:32:50,916 --> 00:32:52,125
STEVENSON: Even from behind,
588
00:32:52,208 --> 00:32:54,375
he's able to convey
their sense of longing
589
00:32:54,458 --> 00:32:56,166
to be able
to go into that space.
590
00:33:00,833 --> 00:33:03,125
ALLEN: He can take
something that's so negative,
591
00:33:03,208 --> 00:33:05,041
but when you
first digest it and look at it,
592
00:33:05,125 --> 00:33:06,750
before you start
to unpack everything,
593
00:33:06,833 --> 00:33:09,416
it's like super warm, and it
just like blows you away.
594
00:33:09,500 --> 00:33:11,916
I think he was really good
at even things
595
00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:13,416
that might have been
596
00:33:13,500 --> 00:33:16,875
uncomfortable for, as a
Black person to capture
597
00:33:16,958 --> 00:33:18,833
but he has this thing where
the way he frames stuff,
598
00:33:18,916 --> 00:33:22,000
it draws you in, and it makes
you wanna have a conversation.
599
00:33:24,375 --> 00:33:26,291
There's an elegance.
Even, there's an elegance,
600
00:33:26,375 --> 00:33:29,291
even to his
depictions of evil, basically.
601
00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:33,125
DUVERNAY: It's her dress
that does it for me
602
00:33:33,208 --> 00:33:38,208
and the earring, and the purse,
and the perfectly matched shoes.
603
00:33:38,833 --> 00:33:40,166
She's a queen,
604
00:33:40,250 --> 00:33:42,625
and yet she has
to have a separate entrance
605
00:33:42,708 --> 00:33:44,875
from the White woman
in the red dress
606
00:33:44,958 --> 00:33:46,708
that's further down the street.
607
00:33:48,375 --> 00:33:53,166
BERGER: Mrs. Joanne Wilson
was walking with her young niece
608
00:33:53,250 --> 00:33:55,666
by a segregated movie theatre,
609
00:33:55,750 --> 00:33:59,208
and the little girl
smelled popcorn.
610
00:33:59,291 --> 00:34:03,541
I interviewed Mrs. Wilson
60 years after
that photograph was taken.
611
00:34:03,625 --> 00:34:07,791
And she said,
"I was feeling a sense
of almost panic of what to do.
612
00:34:07,875 --> 00:34:10,000
I wasn't going
to take my niece
613
00:34:10,083 --> 00:34:13,208
into a segregated back entrance.
I wouldn't do it."
614
00:34:15,458 --> 00:34:16,791
So I asked Mrs. Wilson
615
00:34:16,875 --> 00:34:19,000
about the experience
of the shoot,
616
00:34:19,083 --> 00:34:22,083
and I said, "Was there anything
about it that upset you
617
00:34:22,166 --> 00:34:23,500
or bothered you?"
and she said,
618
00:34:23,583 --> 00:34:24,750
and she loved Gordon,
619
00:34:24,833 --> 00:34:26,916
and she said, "Yes.
620
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:29,458
When I looked at
the photograph, I realized that
621
00:34:29,541 --> 00:34:31,750
the strap
of my slip had fallen.
622
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,708
I was a proud Black woman
in Alabama,
623
00:34:35,791 --> 00:34:39,250
and I never left my house
not being dressed perfectly."
624
00:34:41,500 --> 00:34:42,791
I understand how she felt,
625
00:34:42,875 --> 00:34:45,083
but I don't think that Gordon
would have told her
626
00:34:45,166 --> 00:34:47,291
to adjust the strap
because for him
627
00:34:47,375 --> 00:34:49,666
it represented
something remarkable.
628
00:34:50,958 --> 00:34:52,666
She was distracted.
629
00:34:52,750 --> 00:34:56,250
You cannot be a mother
or even human
630
00:34:56,333 --> 00:34:59,916
and not see that little moment
of drama in a photograph
631
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:04,000
and not feel a sense
of affiliation with Mrs. Wilson.
632
00:35:08,666 --> 00:35:13,125
DARREN WALKER: Gordon Parks's
photography demanded
633
00:35:13,208 --> 00:35:16,750
that America look at itself.
634
00:35:16,833 --> 00:35:22,416
His work did what art does
at its very best.
635
00:35:22,500 --> 00:35:28,500
It makes the viewer
engage deeply in the subject.
636
00:35:28,583 --> 00:35:32,541
And to see
narratives about life,
637
00:35:32,625 --> 00:35:34,500
about our history.
638
00:35:34,583 --> 00:35:38,041
So when you look at those
beautiful photographs,
639
00:35:38,125 --> 00:35:40,833
what you saw was dignity
640
00:35:40,916 --> 00:35:46,833
in the face of remarkable
discrimination and bigotry.
641
00:35:48,291 --> 00:35:52,500
♪ (MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
642
00:35:52,583 --> 00:35:54,041
And rising...
643
00:35:56,833 --> 00:35:58,708
You got to wait for him
to rise, folks.
644
00:36:00,083 --> 00:36:02,500
Okay, now rise behind him.
You got to look for him.
645
00:36:03,500 --> 00:36:04,875
One of the things
about Mr. Parks
646
00:36:04,958 --> 00:36:08,916
that had been
really inspiring and informative
647
00:36:09,041 --> 00:36:12,416
is the idea that
if I pick up my camera,
648
00:36:12,500 --> 00:36:14,500
I can say something
and show something,
649
00:36:14,583 --> 00:36:16,041
and that I will be heard,
650
00:36:16,125 --> 00:36:18,916
and that it will be seen,
and a story will be told.
651
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:20,083
Action!
652
00:36:20,166 --> 00:36:22,416
And that my camera gives me
the power to do that.
653
00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:26,375
To think of the camera
as a weapon is a strong way
654
00:36:26,458 --> 00:36:29,041
to think about it and something
that I have come to embrace.
655
00:36:31,958 --> 00:36:34,791
Some of my favorite work
of his is in color.
656
00:36:34,875 --> 00:36:37,541
There's something
about the color
that feels very painterly
657
00:36:37,625 --> 00:36:40,875
in a way that's different
from the black and white.
658
00:36:40,958 --> 00:36:44,625
I remember looking
at those photos,
and I look at them often.
659
00:36:44,708 --> 00:36:47,375
They inform, even choices
that I make in cinematography
660
00:36:47,458 --> 00:36:48,541
for my films.
661
00:36:49,791 --> 00:36:51,083
There's a photo that I love.
662
00:36:51,166 --> 00:36:52,791
It's a little boy
sitting in a field,
663
00:36:52,875 --> 00:36:54,833
and he has an "X" on his head
664
00:36:54,916 --> 00:36:56,375
that's like a target.
665
00:36:58,375 --> 00:36:59,958
That image just says so much.
666
00:37:02,375 --> 00:37:06,083
The rest, the relaxation,
the intimacy,
667
00:37:06,166 --> 00:37:08,041
juxtaposed against the poverty.
668
00:37:12,208 --> 00:37:13,583
We think of photography,
I think,
669
00:37:13,666 --> 00:37:16,250
as like a solitary art practice.
670
00:37:19,666 --> 00:37:21,000
It's the photographer
and their camera,
671
00:37:21,083 --> 00:37:24,208
but really, they're in
relationship with their subject.
672
00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:28,916
When I look at his work,
I think, "God!
How'd he get that?"
673
00:37:30,041 --> 00:37:31,875
The ease and the intimacy
674
00:37:31,958 --> 00:37:34,333
that comes through
in so much of his work.
675
00:37:36,500 --> 00:37:38,958
The process with actors is
you're trying to achieve
676
00:37:39,041 --> 00:37:41,083
the same ends of intimacy,
of a connection...
677
00:37:41,166 --> 00:37:42,250
Action!
678
00:37:42,333 --> 00:37:44,500
...of an understanding
of the material and each other,
679
00:37:44,583 --> 00:37:47,125
so that you can get
to those true places.
680
00:37:47,208 --> 00:37:49,625
Pent up emotions
and inattention
681
00:37:49,708 --> 00:37:51,958
would have led
to an uncontrollable,
682
00:37:52,041 --> 00:37:53,791
retaliatory situation.
683
00:37:53,875 --> 00:37:57,958
Well done. We're good.
Looking good. Thank you.
684
00:37:58,041 --> 00:38:00,125
DUVERNAY: The thing
for Black filmmakers is
685
00:38:00,208 --> 00:38:02,708
for far too long
we've been relegated to
686
00:38:02,791 --> 00:38:04,875
one set of tools, if any.
687
00:38:04,958 --> 00:38:07,916
One of the things
about Mr. Parks is the ability
688
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:13,041
to work within many boxes
and to use many tools.
689
00:38:13,833 --> 00:38:17,833
♪ (CALM MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
690
00:38:26,125 --> 00:38:28,125
RAZ-RUSSO: If one were
to look at the entirety
691
00:38:28,208 --> 00:38:29,333
of Gordon Parks's career,
692
00:38:29,416 --> 00:38:31,666
you would be struck by
the range of work that he did.
693
00:38:33,125 --> 00:38:36,708
It's absolutely fascinating
how he's able to bounce around
694
00:38:36,791 --> 00:38:39,166
from photojournalism
to fashion photography,
695
00:38:39,250 --> 00:38:43,416
to portraiture, to abstraction,
and everything in between.
696
00:38:43,500 --> 00:38:48,125
And yet somehow, it's all tied
together by his approach,
697
00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:52,000
the idea
that he's fully invested
698
00:38:52,083 --> 00:38:54,125
in every single one
of his subjects.
699
00:38:57,958 --> 00:39:00,166
NELSON GEORGE:
His whole thing was to be there
700
00:39:00,250 --> 00:39:02,833
and have a point of view.
Definitely had a point of view
701
00:39:02,916 --> 00:39:05,541
about Black liberation,
Black freedom,
702
00:39:05,625 --> 00:39:08,083
White oppression, uh, fashion.
703
00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:14,458
But not to impose
that in the environment,
704
00:39:14,541 --> 00:39:16,166
to be able to be there
705
00:39:16,250 --> 00:39:19,750
and find those moments where,
"Boom, boom, boom."
706
00:39:30,208 --> 00:39:31,541
My mom and Gordon Parks met
707
00:39:31,625 --> 00:39:33,375
on a photo shoot
for LIFE magazine.
708
00:39:35,458 --> 00:39:38,041
She was gonna be
in a play called The Swan
709
00:39:38,125 --> 00:39:41,875
and Gordon was
the photographer assigned to it.
710
00:39:41,958 --> 00:39:43,666
They just instantly
sort of clicked.
711
00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,583
My mom, I mean,
you couldn't have more
different circumstances,
712
00:39:49,666 --> 00:39:51,875
she grew up obviously surrounded
by great wealth.
713
00:39:55,833 --> 00:39:58,416
She said that this was the
first African American person
714
00:39:58,500 --> 00:39:59,833
she really became friends with.
715
00:40:01,833 --> 00:40:03,916
I think they did connect
as artists.
716
00:40:05,833 --> 00:40:08,291
That was the beginning
of what would become
717
00:40:08,375 --> 00:40:10,250
this extraordinary
lifelong friendship.
718
00:40:12,500 --> 00:40:15,250
I always knew there was more
to their relationship
719
00:40:15,333 --> 00:40:16,916
than he was just a family friend
720
00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:19,750
who would spend weekends
out in Long Island with us.
721
00:40:22,500 --> 00:40:23,833
But I knew Gordon's work
722
00:40:23,916 --> 00:40:25,791
from the time I was a kid.
I followed it.
723
00:40:28,333 --> 00:40:30,791
He had the ability
to tell other people's stories
724
00:40:30,875 --> 00:40:33,833
and the ability to enmesh
yourself in somebody else's life
725
00:40:33,916 --> 00:40:35,541
and to document it.
726
00:40:35,625 --> 00:40:37,083
I just found that amazing.
727
00:40:39,791 --> 00:40:42,625
GEORGE: Gordon was this guy
who could connect
with all of these people,
728
00:40:42,708 --> 00:40:45,208
and not necessarily
be everyone's best friend,
729
00:40:45,291 --> 00:40:48,041
but gain respect enough
to move in their spaces.
730
00:40:49,791 --> 00:40:52,916
As a photographer, and I learned
myself as a journalist,
731
00:40:53,000 --> 00:40:55,083
the ability to be there
and be present
732
00:40:55,166 --> 00:40:56,375
but not to interfere.
733
00:40:57,250 --> 00:40:59,291
To be able to sit back,
734
00:40:59,375 --> 00:41:02,375
let it happen, observe closely
what's going on,
735
00:41:02,458 --> 00:41:04,083
and find out what's
interesting about it.
736
00:41:04,166 --> 00:41:05,833
He had that ability,
and it comes through
737
00:41:05,916 --> 00:41:07,375
in all of his photography.
738
00:41:08,958 --> 00:41:15,916
♪ (MELLOW JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
739
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:19,541
BERGER:
In 1957, LIFE sent Gordon
740
00:41:19,625 --> 00:41:22,625
to photograph
the American crime crisis.
741
00:41:23,750 --> 00:41:28,250
♪ (JAZZ MUSIC CONTINUES) ♪
742
00:41:28,333 --> 00:41:32,333
He represented
crime as an ambiguity.
743
00:41:38,041 --> 00:41:40,500
It deracialized
the story of crime.
744
00:41:42,125 --> 00:41:45,125
There were White criminals.
There were Black criminals.
745
00:41:48,750 --> 00:41:52,541
He also showed
the humanity around crime.
746
00:41:53,791 --> 00:41:56,291
STEVENSON:
It challenges this notion
747
00:41:56,375 --> 00:41:58,791
that a criminal
is someone who is
748
00:41:58,875 --> 00:42:01,333
entirely loathsome,
entirely evil.
749
00:42:07,666 --> 00:42:10,958
There's an incredible
photograph of a prison cell.
750
00:42:11,041 --> 00:42:15,958
You see a hand leaning over one
of the bars with a cigarette,
751
00:42:16,041 --> 00:42:19,250
but on the bottom, you see
the hand grabbing the bar.
752
00:42:22,625 --> 00:42:25,333
What you see is the anxiety
753
00:42:26,708 --> 00:42:28,416
of the person behind bars.
754
00:42:30,375 --> 00:42:33,208
ALLEN: Gordon was able
to tell both sides of the story.
755
00:42:33,291 --> 00:42:35,458
Being able to go
into a police station
756
00:42:35,541 --> 00:42:37,666
and shooting
from that perspective.
757
00:42:39,541 --> 00:42:43,958
As an artist, we are the medium
between opposing sides,
758
00:42:44,041 --> 00:42:45,833
and we are
the only ones that can actually
759
00:42:45,916 --> 00:42:48,458
create that narrative
to even start a conversation.
760
00:42:58,500 --> 00:43:00,250
♪ (MUSIC FADES) ♪
761
00:43:01,500 --> 00:43:03,250
STEVENSON: You cannot be
a person of color
762
00:43:03,333 --> 00:43:04,916
growing up in the urban north
763
00:43:05,000 --> 00:43:08,000
and not be mindful
of the way in which
764
00:43:08,083 --> 00:43:10,083
police officers were symbols.
765
00:43:10,166 --> 00:43:12,416
They represented
threat and menace.
766
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:14,458
My cousins lived
in North Philadelphia,
767
00:43:14,541 --> 00:43:16,125
and when we would go
spend time with them,
768
00:43:16,208 --> 00:43:17,875
there was a
completely foreign environment.
769
00:43:17,958 --> 00:43:19,875
And my cousin would say,
770
00:43:19,958 --> 00:43:22,083
"If you see a gang coming down
one street
771
00:43:22,166 --> 00:43:24,666
and you see the police
coming down another street,
772
00:43:24,750 --> 00:43:26,166
both of them are dangerous,
773
00:43:26,250 --> 00:43:28,916
but run toward the gang,
not toward the police."
774
00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:31,583
And it wasn't because people
didn't want law and order.
775
00:43:31,666 --> 00:43:35,500
They did. They just didn't want
it imposed through abuse.
776
00:43:36,458 --> 00:43:38,458
♪ (SOMBER MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
777
00:43:38,541 --> 00:43:41,625
STEVENSON:
And Parks got it, you know,
in the images presented.
778
00:43:50,958 --> 00:43:53,541
That image where he shows
those police officers
779
00:43:53,625 --> 00:43:57,041
crashing down a door,
gun in hand.
780
00:43:57,125 --> 00:43:58,708
There's a kind of violence.
781
00:43:58,791 --> 00:44:02,125
Can you imagine being
on the other side of this door?
782
00:44:04,083 --> 00:44:07,958
So it's a really powerful image
to contradict this idea
783
00:44:08,041 --> 00:44:10,541
that these are the people
who make us safe.
784
00:44:10,625 --> 00:44:12,416
You know,
I see this and I think,
785
00:44:12,500 --> 00:44:15,291
"Keep me as far away
from these guys as possible."
786
00:44:17,500 --> 00:44:20,625
♪ (SOMBER MUSIC FADES) ♪
787
00:44:28,333 --> 00:44:32,458
STEVENSON: Using the rule of law
is certainly a way
788
00:44:32,541 --> 00:44:36,541
to fight against
inequality and injustice.
789
00:44:40,666 --> 00:44:44,125
But I have recognized
that that's not enough.
790
00:44:44,208 --> 00:44:46,958
Now I see myself
very much engaged in...
791
00:44:48,250 --> 00:44:51,541
in narrative work
and using narrative tools
792
00:44:51,625 --> 00:44:54,500
to fight against
inequality and injustice,
793
00:44:54,583 --> 00:44:58,125
and that's the reason why
it makes perfect sense to us
794
00:44:58,208 --> 00:44:59,333
to build a museum.
795
00:45:01,458 --> 00:45:05,333
The primary goal is to
tell a story about our history
796
00:45:05,416 --> 00:45:07,083
that shakes people sufficiently.
797
00:45:07,166 --> 00:45:09,083
You're motivated
to say, "Never again"
798
00:45:09,166 --> 00:45:12,291
to racial bigotry and bias.
799
00:45:16,208 --> 00:45:18,625
Gordon Parks became central
800
00:45:18,708 --> 00:45:20,791
to the way we wanted
to talk about our imagery
801
00:45:20,875 --> 00:45:23,208
and storytelling through
photography.
802
00:45:28,500 --> 00:45:33,125
Narrative work is how Parks
changed hearts and minds.
803
00:45:37,875 --> 00:45:38,833
You can change laws,
804
00:45:38,916 --> 00:45:41,250
but if you don't, kind of,
work on people
805
00:45:41,333 --> 00:45:45,250
and the psychology behind
bigotry and exclusion,
806
00:45:45,333 --> 00:45:46,833
then you're not
gonna make any progress.
807
00:45:51,750 --> 00:45:55,291
And Parks understood early
that he had a role to play
808
00:45:55,375 --> 00:45:57,083
if we were gonna kind of
shape the things
809
00:45:57,166 --> 00:45:59,375
that people believe
about equality.
810
00:46:04,625 --> 00:46:07,583
You know,
as a photographer for LIFE,
811
00:46:07,666 --> 00:46:10,250
you look at publications
like that.
812
00:46:15,291 --> 00:46:18,416
And in this very subtle way,
this notion of
813
00:46:18,500 --> 00:46:21,458
who is an American
was being reinforced.
814
00:46:21,541 --> 00:46:23,791
Week after week,
month after month.
815
00:46:23,875 --> 00:46:29,041
♪ (MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
816
00:46:29,125 --> 00:46:32,375
STEVENSON:
And so Parks's images
really disrupted that.
817
00:46:35,541 --> 00:46:37,541
If you had to see
this Black family
818
00:46:37,625 --> 00:46:38,833
in one of his photos
819
00:46:38,916 --> 00:46:41,041
juxtaposed with
these White families
820
00:46:41,125 --> 00:46:42,541
in these ads,
821
00:46:42,625 --> 00:46:45,416
it caused you to kind of think
just a little differently.
822
00:46:45,500 --> 00:46:51,500
It raised questions
about who is an American.
823
00:46:57,458 --> 00:47:00,125
Gordon Parks
was often criticized
824
00:47:00,208 --> 00:47:01,625
as much as he was applauded
825
00:47:01,708 --> 00:47:03,375
for his position
at LIFE magazine,
826
00:47:03,458 --> 00:47:08,166
and he was very aware of
being in a conflicted position.
827
00:47:08,250 --> 00:47:13,166
He talks about how he was seen
as often going in
828
00:47:13,250 --> 00:47:15,500
as LIFE's, quote,
"Black photographer,"
829
00:47:15,583 --> 00:47:18,500
and creating stories
that were meant to appeal
830
00:47:18,583 --> 00:47:20,125
to a White audience.
831
00:47:20,208 --> 00:47:22,083
At the same time,
he understood that
832
00:47:22,166 --> 00:47:25,416
when he was covering stories
that had to do with race,
833
00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:27,416
that he was in a unique position
834
00:47:27,500 --> 00:47:30,041
to tell those stories
from his point of view.
835
00:47:30,125 --> 00:47:34,500
And a great example of that
was in 1963, when he was sent
836
00:47:34,583 --> 00:47:36,416
to do a story about
the Nation of Islam.
837
00:47:38,000 --> 00:47:40,333
MALCOLM X: America
is a White man's country.
838
00:47:40,416 --> 00:47:42,833
A country
that was stolen by the White man
839
00:47:42,916 --> 00:47:44,500
from the dark-skinned Indians,
840
00:47:44,583 --> 00:47:49,041
who then kidnapped our people
and brought us here in chains.
841
00:47:49,125 --> 00:47:52,208
PARKS: I saw Malcolm for
the very first time in person
842
00:47:52,291 --> 00:47:55,500
on the corner of 125th Street
and 7th Avenue.
843
00:47:55,583 --> 00:47:58,708
MALCOLM: There's no such thing
as justice in this country
844
00:47:58,791 --> 00:48:00,000
for a Black man.
845
00:48:00,083 --> 00:48:02,666
And there's no such thing
as equality in this country
846
00:48:02,750 --> 00:48:04,291
for a Black man.
847
00:48:04,375 --> 00:48:07,291
This is a White man's country!
848
00:48:07,375 --> 00:48:10,541
PARKS:
The first thing I asked him
was about the possibility
849
00:48:10,625 --> 00:48:13,000
of my covering
the Black Muslims.
850
00:48:13,083 --> 00:48:15,250
And he said, "Well,
the honorable Elijah Muhammad
851
00:48:15,333 --> 00:48:16,791
would have to decide that."
852
00:48:18,791 --> 00:48:20,958
Malcolm and I flew
to Phoenix, Arizona.
853
00:48:21,041 --> 00:48:23,041
The first thing Elijah Muhammad
said to me was,
854
00:48:23,125 --> 00:48:25,000
"Why are you working
for the White devils?"
855
00:48:26,333 --> 00:48:29,458
I said, "Well, you know,
you've heard of
856
00:48:30,500 --> 00:48:32,208
getting behind the iron horse
857
00:48:32,291 --> 00:48:33,625
and finding out
what's going on?"
858
00:48:33,708 --> 00:48:35,458
He said, "I don't buy that."
859
00:48:35,541 --> 00:48:36,625
(LAUGHS)
860
00:48:36,708 --> 00:48:39,750
Well, in any case,
he said, "We'll give you a try.
861
00:48:39,833 --> 00:48:42,166
Brother Malcolm is
gonna escort you through
862
00:48:42,250 --> 00:48:45,291
the world of Islam,
and if I like what you do,
863
00:48:45,375 --> 00:48:47,958
I'll send you
a big box of cigars.
864
00:48:48,041 --> 00:48:51,500
If I don't like what you do,
we'll be out to visit you."
865
00:48:51,583 --> 00:48:53,000
(LAUGHS)
866
00:48:53,083 --> 00:48:55,750
And that's the way
Malcolm and I got started.
867
00:48:55,833 --> 00:48:58,333
MALCOLM: In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful,
868
00:48:58,416 --> 00:48:59,916
to whom all praise is due.
869
00:49:00,000 --> 00:49:02,458
Whom we forever thank
for giving us
870
00:49:02,541 --> 00:49:03,958
the honorable Elijah Muhammad
871
00:49:04,041 --> 00:49:05,916
as our leader,
teacher, and guide.
872
00:49:07,000 --> 00:49:09,375
PARKS: I found in the mosques
such order,
873
00:49:09,458 --> 00:49:12,416
uniformity
in just about everything.
874
00:49:12,500 --> 00:49:14,458
Malcolm would walk
with a long stick
875
00:49:14,541 --> 00:49:18,375
and point to a blackboard
and explain what Elijah Muhammad
876
00:49:18,458 --> 00:49:19,916
expected of Muslims.
877
00:49:23,500 --> 00:49:27,583
I was surprised to see them
training German Shepherd dogs.
878
00:49:27,666 --> 00:49:29,458
Malcolm would look at me
and smile.
879
00:49:29,541 --> 00:49:31,500
He says, "If they can face
that dog
880
00:49:31,583 --> 00:49:32,875
with its vicious fangs,
881
00:49:32,958 --> 00:49:34,625
they can face
a lot of other things."
882
00:49:36,791 --> 00:49:39,000
I went into some of
the Muslim families.
883
00:49:39,083 --> 00:49:41,375
I asked one father in Brooklyn,
884
00:49:41,458 --> 00:49:43,791
I said, "Suppose your son came
home one day
885
00:49:43,875 --> 00:49:47,083
and told you that he was
renouncing the Muslim religion."
886
00:49:47,166 --> 00:49:49,208
He said, "I would turn him
from my door
887
00:49:49,291 --> 00:49:51,666
and would
never allow him in again."
888
00:49:51,750 --> 00:49:54,000
It was amazing,
the faith that they had
889
00:49:54,083 --> 00:49:56,291
in Elijah Muhammad
and in Malcolm.
890
00:49:57,708 --> 00:49:59,750
RAZ-RUSSO: Gordon Parks
spends several months
891
00:49:59,833 --> 00:50:02,291
with members
of the Nation of Islam.
892
00:50:02,375 --> 00:50:04,250
It becomes a true collaboration
893
00:50:04,333 --> 00:50:08,250
where Gordon Parks is allowed
unprecedented access.
894
00:50:14,666 --> 00:50:17,541
I was in New York
when I got a call from Malcolm.
895
00:50:17,625 --> 00:50:21,375
He had just reached
the Los Angeles Airport.
896
00:50:22,458 --> 00:50:24,333
He said, "Can you get out here?"
897
00:50:24,416 --> 00:50:26,333
MALCOLM:
The person, whom you have come
898
00:50:26,416 --> 00:50:30,541
to know as Ronald Stokes,
we know him as brother Ronald.
899
00:50:30,625 --> 00:50:34,375
And an innocent man
when he was murdered.
900
00:50:34,458 --> 00:50:36,833
PARKS: That's when
Ronald Stokes was shot.
901
00:50:36,916 --> 00:50:38,583
Police had gone to the mosque,
902
00:50:38,666 --> 00:50:40,083
and there'd been
some confrontation
903
00:50:40,166 --> 00:50:42,583
with the young Muslims
out in front of the mosque.
904
00:50:42,666 --> 00:50:44,875
MALCOLM: These are the victims
of police bullets.
905
00:50:45,000 --> 00:50:48,208
And it is the police who should
be on trial here in Los Angeles.
906
00:50:48,291 --> 00:50:50,375
PARKS: Malcolm wanted to show
the rest of the world
907
00:50:50,458 --> 00:50:52,375
that these guys
were using brutality,
908
00:50:52,458 --> 00:50:54,416
especially against Muslims.
909
00:50:54,500 --> 00:50:57,750
MALCOLM: They can go in
and murder unarmed,
910
00:50:57,833 --> 00:50:59,208
innocent Negroes,
911
00:50:59,291 --> 00:51:03,000
and the White public is
gullible enough to back them up.
912
00:51:03,083 --> 00:51:04,500
PARKS: Malcolm was
terribly angry,
913
00:51:04,583 --> 00:51:07,416
as were a lot of Black people
who were not Muslims.
914
00:51:07,500 --> 00:51:09,541
I was angry myself,
terribly angry.
915
00:51:10,958 --> 00:51:12,708
It was very tense out there.
916
00:51:12,791 --> 00:51:15,041
Cops were patrolling
the streets.
917
00:51:15,125 --> 00:51:19,625
I knew if something happened,
I would be in the firing line.
918
00:51:19,708 --> 00:51:22,083
I never separated myself
from them
919
00:51:22,166 --> 00:51:24,041
in terms of being a reporter.
920
00:51:25,458 --> 00:51:29,000
I felt, frankly, like a Muslim.
921
00:51:36,708 --> 00:51:39,125
Malcolm and I
really felt like brothers.
922
00:51:39,208 --> 00:51:41,750
(CHUCKLES)
He was not the fiery monster
923
00:51:41,833 --> 00:51:44,083
that he was on
the street corner.
924
00:51:44,166 --> 00:51:47,333
He was a gentle, sweet guy.
925
00:51:47,416 --> 00:51:49,875
Coming between
Los Angeles and New York,
926
00:51:49,958 --> 00:51:51,458
we took a night plane.
927
00:51:51,541 --> 00:51:53,791
And he leaned over
on my shoulder and said to me,
928
00:51:53,875 --> 00:51:55,958
"Brother, you know I have a lot
of respect for you."
929
00:51:56,041 --> 00:51:57,166
Things of that sort.
930
00:51:57,250 --> 00:51:59,333
And I said, "Well, I have
a lot of respect for you."
931
00:51:59,416 --> 00:52:02,125
He dropped his head on
my shoulder and went to sleep.
932
00:52:06,208 --> 00:52:08,708
When we reached New York,
I said, "You called me 'brother'
933
00:52:08,791 --> 00:52:10,375
for the first time." He said,
934
00:52:10,458 --> 00:52:12,791
"Well, for the first time,
you deserved it."
935
00:52:12,875 --> 00:52:13,875
(LAUGHS)
936
00:52:13,958 --> 00:52:20,500
♪ (EMOTIONAL MUSIC PLAYS) ♪
937
00:52:24,125 --> 00:52:26,375
When the story came out in LIFE,
938
00:52:26,458 --> 00:52:30,500
the headline and the disposition
of the text to photographs
939
00:52:30,583 --> 00:52:33,208
turned it into something
very inflammatory.
940
00:52:34,416 --> 00:52:36,333
The text is quite critical.
941
00:52:36,416 --> 00:52:39,500
It presents this, you know,
what was the popular view
942
00:52:39,583 --> 00:52:41,541
of the Nation of Islam
at the time.
943
00:52:41,625 --> 00:52:45,291
As an outsider group,
as a somewhat violent group.
944
00:52:46,583 --> 00:52:48,541
What's fascinating is
that Gordon Parks
945
00:52:48,625 --> 00:52:51,833
actually contributes
his own separate text
946
00:52:51,916 --> 00:52:54,375
saying, "These are
systemic problems
947
00:52:54,458 --> 00:52:55,875
across the United States.
948
00:52:55,958 --> 00:52:59,125
These are problems
that are relevant
to everyone's life.
949
00:52:59,208 --> 00:53:03,083
These are problems
that you should see from
this point of view."
950
00:53:03,166 --> 00:53:05,375
And that's where he
becomes an activist.
951
00:53:13,666 --> 00:53:16,875
-ASSISTANT CAMERAMAN: B-mark.
-Backward action!
952
00:53:16,958 --> 00:53:18,958
LAURA HARRIER:
Are you down for
the liberation of Black people?
953
00:53:19,041 --> 00:53:21,000
JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON:
Do we always
have to talk politics?
954
00:53:21,083 --> 00:53:22,583
What's more important?
955
00:53:22,666 --> 00:53:24,083
LEE: Cut! Check the gate.
956
00:53:24,166 --> 00:53:25,708
I love Gordon.
957
00:53:25,791 --> 00:53:28,166
We just have
great respect for each other.
958
00:53:28,250 --> 00:53:29,333
Action!
959
00:53:32,125 --> 00:53:35,583
He's one of the guys,
without them,
960
00:53:35,666 --> 00:53:38,916
I would not be
the filmmaker I am.
961
00:53:39,000 --> 00:53:41,625
OSSIE DAVIS:
Harlem has come to bid farewell
962
00:53:41,708 --> 00:53:44,166
to one of its brightest hopes.
963
00:53:44,250 --> 00:53:48,000
LEE: At the end of Malcolm X,
we had my brother, Ossie Davis,
964
00:53:48,083 --> 00:53:50,916
re-record the eulogy
965
00:53:51,000 --> 00:53:54,041
which he gave
at Malcolm's Muslim funeral.
966
00:53:55,250 --> 00:53:57,333
And there's a montage.
967
00:53:57,416 --> 00:54:02,375
Many of the pictures were taken
by my brother, Gordon Parks.
968
00:54:02,458 --> 00:54:03,708
We were very happy that
969
00:54:03,791 --> 00:54:06,166
Gordon gave us the permission
to use those
970
00:54:06,250 --> 00:54:08,583
historic photographs
of Malcolm X.
971
00:54:10,833 --> 00:54:14,041
That camera in his hands
was a weapon.
972
00:54:15,458 --> 00:54:17,250
That was a
motherfuckin' bazooka!
973
00:54:17,333 --> 00:54:18,333
(LAUGHS)
974
00:54:18,416 --> 00:54:23,000
That wasn't no
six shooter or rifle.
975
00:54:23,083 --> 00:54:28,375
When Mr. Gordon Parks
had that camera in his hand,
976
00:54:28,458 --> 00:54:29,708
that was a bazooka.
977
00:54:34,083 --> 00:54:36,458
But you're not gonna get
the great photographs
978
00:54:36,541 --> 00:54:39,583
if you don't establish trust.
979
00:54:41,375 --> 00:54:43,916
Gordon come in, light up a room,
980
00:54:44,000 --> 00:54:46,791
gave everybody respect.
No matter if you were
981
00:54:46,875 --> 00:54:49,541
Gloria Vanderbilt
or some bum on the street.
982
00:54:49,625 --> 00:54:56,375
It's only when people feel safe
that they open themselves up.
983
00:54:56,458 --> 00:54:59,791
And then, the camera
will capture the essence.
984
00:55:03,166 --> 00:55:04,833
At least with
the films I'm doing,
985
00:55:04,916 --> 00:55:07,083
especially more
for documentaries I think,
986
00:55:07,166 --> 00:55:09,791
you gotta ask people
personal questions
987
00:55:09,875 --> 00:55:12,875
about very painful moments
in their life.
988
00:55:12,958 --> 00:55:16,166
For example, 4 Little Girls
was about the bombing
989
00:55:16,250 --> 00:55:18,625
of the 16th Street
Birmingham Baptist Church.
990
00:55:19,750 --> 00:55:22,416
And when you're talking
to someone
991
00:55:22,500 --> 00:55:24,500
whose kid was--
992
00:55:24,583 --> 00:55:26,666
dynamite blew their body apart.
993
00:55:28,416 --> 00:55:30,541
That's not easy.
994
00:55:30,625 --> 00:55:34,250
When did you find out that
Carole had been in the blast?
995
00:55:34,333 --> 00:55:37,666
When- when my husband
and my mother-in-law came back-
996
00:55:37,750 --> 00:55:39,125
came in to tell me.
997
00:55:42,166 --> 00:55:43,333
Oh, boy.
998
00:55:45,958 --> 00:55:48,041
It was just-- It was awful.
999
00:55:49,583 --> 00:55:51,458
It's the job of the artist
1000
00:55:51,541 --> 00:55:53,000
to have
your subject comfortable.
1001
00:55:54,875 --> 00:55:57,750
And Gordon had that gift.
1002
00:56:05,833 --> 00:56:09,208
Freedom, freedom.
1003
00:56:09,291 --> 00:56:12,166
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR:
Gordon's photography
forms a foundation
1004
00:56:12,250 --> 00:56:14,833
for a visual narrative
of Black Americans
1005
00:56:15,666 --> 00:56:17,833
seen through Black eyes.
1006
00:56:20,375 --> 00:56:23,125
If you look at it and date it,
1007
00:56:23,208 --> 00:56:26,875
you see the evolution of
the Civil Rights Movement.
1008
00:56:26,958 --> 00:56:29,375
ANNOUNCER: I have the pleasure
to present to you
1009
00:56:29,458 --> 00:56:32,125
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
-(CROWD CHEERS)
1010
00:56:32,208 --> 00:56:35,250
ABDUL-JABBAR: If you look
at his photographs, it's
a great chronological record
1011
00:56:35,333 --> 00:56:38,375
of what the 20th century
was about for Black Americans.
1012
00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,666
Gordon made us visible to people
in a way that
1013
00:56:43,750 --> 00:56:45,833
no other photographer
could have done it.
1014
00:56:45,916 --> 00:56:48,958
He came from the community,
and that was always obvious.
1015
00:56:55,416 --> 00:56:58,750
WALKER:
The hold of White supremacy
1016
00:56:58,833 --> 00:57:03,083
on the Black psyche
was profound.
1017
00:57:03,166 --> 00:57:04,291
And it was when we started
1018
00:57:04,375 --> 00:57:08,083
to see the images
that lifted us up,
1019
00:57:08,166 --> 00:57:12,125
that made us feel
that we were worthy,
1020
00:57:12,208 --> 00:57:15,083
that we began
to really demand justice.
1021
00:57:23,041 --> 00:57:28,333
And so Gordon Parks
was a warrior for justice.
1022
00:57:28,416 --> 00:57:33,916
♪ (TRIUMPHANT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪
1023
00:57:35,583 --> 00:57:37,958
Cassius Clay is your name
no more, is that right?
1024
00:57:38,041 --> 00:57:39,708
Yes, sir, it's Muhammad Ali.
1025
00:57:39,791 --> 00:57:41,666
Muhammad means worthy
of all praises,
1026
00:57:41,750 --> 00:57:45,000
and Ali means most high in
the Asian-African language.
1027
00:57:45,083 --> 00:57:46,291
How long have you had the name?
1028
00:57:46,375 --> 00:57:49,375
Well, for about um-
two weeks now.
1029
00:57:49,458 --> 00:57:51,166
Is there anybody special
who gave you the name?
1030
00:57:51,250 --> 00:57:54,333
Yes, sir, my leader
and teacher, the most honorable
Elijah Muhammad.
1031
00:57:56,583 --> 00:57:59,125
BERGER: Muhammad Ali began
as a reluctant assignment.
1032
00:57:59,208 --> 00:58:02,541
I mean, Parks wasn't quite sure
who Muhammad Ali was,
1033
00:58:02,625 --> 00:58:05,083
his conversion to Islam.
1034
00:58:05,166 --> 00:58:06,833
The fact that he
sort of transformed from
1035
00:58:06,916 --> 00:58:10,333
Cassius Clay into a much more
radical political figure.
1036
00:58:10,416 --> 00:58:14,500
I just don't understand yet
how I can be reclassified as 1-A
1037
00:58:14,583 --> 00:58:16,250
without testing me in no way,
1038
00:58:16,333 --> 00:58:19,125
just calling me like this,
and I just don't understand it.
1039
00:58:19,208 --> 00:58:21,083
In other words,
you think they called you
1040
00:58:21,166 --> 00:58:23,166
only because you're
the heavyweight champion of--
1041
00:58:23,250 --> 00:58:24,250
And a Muslim too!
1042
00:58:24,333 --> 00:58:26,166
Ever since I've joined
the Muslim religion,
1043
00:58:26,250 --> 00:58:27,708
I've been catching hell
from here,
1044
00:58:27,791 --> 00:58:29,916
they've been trying to ail me,
and trick me into this...
1045
00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:34,750
At the time that Muhammad Ali
was opposing the Vietnamese War,
1046
00:58:34,833 --> 00:58:37,708
he was very controversial.
1047
00:58:37,791 --> 00:58:40,000
He really surprised people
when he said that
1048
00:58:40,083 --> 00:58:43,250
he was taking a stand
for himself
and for all Americans
1049
00:58:43,333 --> 00:58:45,083
who did not support the war,
1050
00:58:45,166 --> 00:58:47,541
and that blew a lot
of people's minds.
1051
00:58:47,625 --> 00:58:50,291
"Ain't no Vietcong
ever called me nigger."
1052
00:58:50,708 --> 00:58:52,583
Wow.
1053
00:58:52,666 --> 00:58:55,833
That crystalized it
for all Black Americans.
1054
00:58:55,916 --> 00:58:57,625
REPORTER 1:
Are you gonna resume
your boxing career?
1055
00:58:57,708 --> 00:58:59,041
REPORTER 2:
Are you talking to us, champ?
1056
00:58:59,125 --> 00:59:01,333
No, I will not say nothing.
It is all in here.
1057
00:59:01,416 --> 00:59:03,041
PARKS:
When I met Muhammad Ali,
1058
00:59:03,125 --> 00:59:06,208
he was getting in trouble a lot
with the press.
1059
00:59:06,291 --> 00:59:08,500
I then took it upon myself
1060
00:59:08,583 --> 00:59:10,958
to say, "Hey don't let
the reporters rile you,
1061
00:59:11,041 --> 00:59:13,041
you know, be cooler about it."
1062
00:59:13,125 --> 00:59:15,666
(INDISTINCT CLAMOR)
1063
00:59:21,250 --> 00:59:24,500
When Parks began
to speak with Ali
1064
00:59:24,583 --> 00:59:25,958
and follow him around,
1065
00:59:26,041 --> 00:59:28,458
the two of them realized they
had a tremendous amount
in common.
1066
00:59:30,666 --> 00:59:32,916
MUHAMMAD:
In Gordon Parks's understanding
1067
00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:37,041
of Muhammad Ali,
was the continuation
1068
00:59:37,125 --> 00:59:41,583
of being in the presence
of a genius
1069
00:59:41,666 --> 00:59:47,416
whose art was just his hands
and his attitude,
1070
00:59:47,500 --> 00:59:49,375
as compared to Langston Hughes,
1071
00:59:51,583 --> 00:59:52,875
or Richard Wright,
1072
00:59:54,291 --> 00:59:55,750
or Ralph Ellison.
82183
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