Many of the core philosophies of the Black Power movement and the Black Arts Movement can trace their roots to Malcolm X. His uncompromising vision of “by any means necessary” contrasted with civil disobedience based on non-violence, particularly as promoted by Martin Luther King Jr. For more than 60 years, Malcolm X has served as an icon and inspiration, commemorated and celebrated by artists and audiences worldwide.

“In essence, Gordon Parks played an essential part in not only humanizing Malcolm X and his movement but also establishing a presence for the Black community in journalism.

‘When I first started doing those stories, Life was not sure if I would be as objective as they would like, because I was Black, and I had a common interest with the Black revolution,’ said Gordon Parks in a 1991 interview. That ‘common interest’ of course being equity, equality, and the same freedoms and rights as every other American.

Of course, the entirely white, male journalism of the time did not ask the same question of themselves. Were they objective about matters of the Black community? Most surely not, for objectivity is a fallacy. Each of us comes to every situation with only our experiences and knowledge—which are almost always informed by our unique positionality—to guide us, making us limited when it comes to something like objectivity.” — Photographers Without Borders