Why Gordon Parks’ Most Famous Photo Almost Wasn’t Released | The Bigger Picture

Explore how renowned photographer Gordon Parks created an image during World War II that was seen as a searing indictment of racial politics in the U.S. with Ella Watson, a cleaner who posed with her mop and broom in front of the American flag. Host Vincent Brown discusses Parks’ motivation for taking the photo, how he worked with Watson and his philosophy that the camera could be used “as a weapon.”

Dive deeper into United States history and media literacy concepts with students using Why Gordon Parks’ Most Famous Photo Almost Wasn’t Released from The Bigger Picture. Explore the historical context of this iconic image while students consider whether photographs are fact, opinion, or something else. Students can consider ways that photographers in the past and present have used the medium to cultivate change and impact society.