Parks

Parks, Gordon (Gordon Roger Alexander Buchanan Parks), 1912-2006, African-American photographer, filmmaker, writer, and composer, b. Fort Scott, Kans. Parks purchased his first camera in 1938 and became a photographer for the Farm Security Administration in 1942. A largely self-taught trailblazer, he was the first African American photographer at Vogue (1944-49) and on the staff at Life (1948-72). A powerful photojournalist, he specialized in hard-hitting studies of poverty and urban black life, but he also produced elegant fashion photography and arresting portraiture. From the 1960s on he wrote novels, memoirs, poems, and screenplays, and in 1964 directed the first of seven motion pictures. Parks was the first black to write, produce, direct, and score a major Hollywood film—The Learning Tree (1969), adapted from his 1963 coming-of-age novel. His blockbuster Shaft (1971) marked the debut of the African-American action hero. Parks also composed orchestral works and a ballet (1989), and was cofounder and editorial director (1970-73) of Essence magazine.

Parks, Rosa Louise, 1913-2005, American civil-rights activist, b. Tuskegee, Ala., as Rosa Louise McCauley. A seamstress and long-time member of the Montgomery, Ala., chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), her Dec. 1, 1955, arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a municipal bus to a white man sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. This successful protest, which lasted just over a year, marked the emergence of Martin Luther King, Jr., to national prominence as a civil-rights leader and provided the model for future nonviolent movement actions. Fired from her job and unable to find work, Parks moved in 1957 to Detroit, where she remained active in the civil-rights movement and worked (1965-88) as an aide to Congressman John Conyers. She was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress's highest honor, in 1999.

(born Nov. 30, 1912, Fort Scott, Kan., U.S.—died March 7, 2006, New York, N.Y.) U.S. writer, photographer, and film director. As the first African American staff photographer for Life (1948–72), Parks became known for his portrayals of ghetto life, black nationalists, and the civil rights movement. His first work of fiction was The Learning Tree (1963), a novel about a black adolescent in Kansas in the 1920s. He combined poetry and photography in collections such as A Poet and His Camera (1968) and Glimpses Toward Infinity (1996). In 1968 he became the first African American to direct a major motion picture with his film adaptation of The Learning Tree. He later directed Shaft (1971), which helped give rise to the genre of African American action films known as “blaxploitation.” Parks also composed music.

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(born Nov. 30, 1912, Fort Scott, Kan., U.S.—died March 7, 2006, New York, N.Y.) U.S. writer, photographer, and film director. As the first African American staff photographer for Life (1948–72), Parks became known for his portrayals of ghetto life, black nationalists, and the civil rights movement. His first work of fiction was The Learning Tree (1963), a novel about a black adolescent in Kansas in the 1920s. He combined poetry and photography in collections such as A Poet and His Camera (1968) and Glimpses Toward Infinity (1996). In 1968 he became the first African American to direct a major motion picture with his film adaptation of The Learning Tree. He later directed Shaft (1971), which helped give rise to the genre of African American action films known as “blaxploitation.” Parks also composed music.

Learn more about Parks, Gordon with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Parks is a census-designated place (CDP) in Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,137 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Parks is located at (35.291355, -111.958898).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 172.3 square miles (446.3 km²), of which, 172.3 square miles (446.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.02%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,137 people, 462 households, and 342 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 6.6 people per square mile (2.5/km²). There were 918 housing units at an average density of 5.3/sq mi (2.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.67% White, 0.35% Black or African American, 0.70% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.53% Pacific Islander, 1.76% from other races, and 2.64% from two or more races. 5.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 462 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 109.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $39,886, and the median income for a family was $45,000. Males had a median income of $34,500 versus $27,875 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $19,377. About 6.4% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

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