Gordon Parks becomes Life magazine's first Black photojournalist

In 1948, Gordon Parks became the first Black photographer on staff at Life magazine, the most widely read photojournalism publication in America. Over his career at Life he documented poverty, gang life, segregation, and the civil rights movement with unflinching artistry. His 1948 photo essay on a Harlem gang leader and his 1961 photo essay on a Brazilian boy in poverty are landmarks of American documentary photography.