Gordon Alexander Parks was born in Fort Scott Kansas, November 30, 1912 and passed away March 7, 2006 . Parks was a photojournalists particularly in the issues of civil rights, poverty and glamour photography, he was also the first African American to produce a motion picture which depicted the experience of slaves and struggling African Americans. As a kid Gordon went to a segregated school and a reach for higher education for African American students was often disapproved by the community he lived in, and at the age of 15 when his mother passed was forced to fend for himself taking on many jobs and he eventually began working in a gentlemen's club. Soon after Parks began to work for the FSA ( Farm Security Administration ) during this time he was able to process a chronical of photos of the cities black and ghetto's of the Southside. But one of his most memorable photos is the "American Gothic" which is a picture of a African American woman ( Ella Watson) this photo was so important because it embodies what many of his other works don't, he was able to use his camera as a lens to show the victim and survivor as one. His work was so important because he consistently explored the social and economic impact of racism.