Exclusive: Gordon Parks' son delivers keynote at Black Press Week Lunch
Gathering honored the 180th Anniversary of the Black Press 
March 16, 2007 – Wash, DC – (BlackPressMagazine.com) – David Parks , 63, the son of the late legendary photographer Gordon Parks, delivered a moving keynote speech at the 2 nd Annual Black Press Week Corporate Luncheon on Friday, March 16, 2007 in Washington, DC. The event, which was in honor of the 180 th Anniversary of America’s Black Press, took place at POSH restaurant, an upscale restaurant owned by BET founder, Robert Johnson.
Presented by the Historical Black Press Foundation, the grassroots organization that preserves the history of the Black Press and provides a gateway to over 450 Black-owned newspapers and magazines, the lunch was sponsored by Van McCoy Music, Newland Enterprise Real Estate and BlackPodcasts.com.
“I knew we had to have this event, and I knew it had to be a POSH,” said DC Livers, who is managing editor for HBPF. “Imagine a Black Press Week lunch, with a speech from the son of the man who founded Essence magazine at a venue owned by the founder of Black Entertainment Television. It was the right place at the right time for the right reason. I’m honored to be a part of bringing David Parks to Washington, DC.
The event almost didn’t happen. Livers was the victim of robbery at a downtown bank just two days before the event in which thieves stole her laptop, keys and the money for the luncheon.
“It was a devastating experience because the entire video program for the event was on the laptop,” said Livers. “But the DC police were on it and I’m glad to say the laptop was recovered on Saturday. The money was gone, but the information is here. Without the folks at POSH, we would not have been able to pull off this historic event. They deserve all the credit for making this the most special experience for all of us.”
Parks’ speech, entitled “Communicating in the New Millennium,” gave listeners a birds-eye view of his life on the road with his dad.
He also included tips for young people on how to break into the industry and discussed his role in the projects that he worked on with his father including the hit movies, “Shaft” and “ Leadbelly.” Parks gave the crowd a verbal sneak peek of the trilogy on the Buffalo Soldiers that he’s working on.
“I’ve done the ‘Gordons.’ I’ve worked for Gordon Sr. and Gordon Jr.,” he said. “Now it’s time to do me. I’ve been working on a lot of White projects, now I’m ready to tell the Black stories that I’ve always wanted to tell.”
Gordon Parks was famous for his book, The Learning Tree, which was an autobiographical sketch of a young boy coming of age. Gordon Parks Jr. directed “Superfly” while David Parks was the producer. Parks discussed both projects in his speech.
"The Learning Tree is the most important book that my father wrote because it was a stepping stone for him personally and professionally,” said David Parks, who won two purple hearts for his own autobiographic book entitled, G.I. Diary.
“It allowed him to write about the experiences he lived growing up in Kansas in the 1920s, and it led to his directorial debut as a filmmaker."
Parks spoke at the private luncheon to a group of about 50 people which included young students from Bertie Backus Middle School and photographers from Black Enterprise Magazine, EBONY and the Washington Informer. A special musical selection was given by Bowie State University student, LX of Warpath, who performed “Ribbon in the sky” on piano.
“I wanted him to perform because some would see him and call him a thug,” said Livers. “To many times the media writes off our young people and overlooks their talent. LX is an example that our community has a story to tell and the Black Press is telling it.”
The crowd was treated to a special presentation of Parks’ work that included working on movies, “Leadbelly” and commercial and documentary projects.” But by far, the most memorable moment was a playful back-and-forth with Parks and a inquisitive student.
“We have been trying to figure out what question to ask you,” said 13-year-old Chauncey Jones. “But I think we have one now: “Do you need any actors?” The crowd erupted in laughter when he was finished.
Parks laughed heartily and said, “Well, that depends. Can you ride a horse?”
“Well, I can’t right now,” said Jones, “but I’m willing to learn.”
Parks jokingly concluded saying, “Uh oh. This guy’s after my job.”
Durand Yates, the teacher and the chair of social studies department who escorted eight of his students to the luncheon said it was an once-in-a-lifetime experience for his kids.
“I am a social studies teacher, but I learned a few things about history from Mr. Parks’ speech,” he said. “The kids couldn’t stop talking about it. We are so proud to be apart of the event,” said Yates, whose students were able to take a group photo with Parks.
During his visit to Washington, Parks met New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), WHUR’sTony Richards , He had an emotional meeting with Washington Post writer, Hamil Harris, who is one of the most recognizable Black writers in the city. Harris attended the event and brought Parks some research that he had been looking for to complete the project on the Buffalo Soldiers.
“I had been looking for this article, but I couldn’t find it anywhere,” said Parks. “It was a blessing to meet him.”
Harris says the honor was his.
“When I walked in the restaurant for the Black Press Week luncheon, I was surprised to see so many students. I’m all about doing stuff for the youth in this city, so I was glad to see them getting to enjoy Mr. Parks,” said Harris.
But Livers said that despite the wonderful turn out from the Black media and young people, it was the political community that really missed out.
“History was made today, but some people missed it. This was Parks’ first visit to Washington, DC since the days of “Superfly,” said Livers.
“Not one member of the Congressional Black Caucus attended the luncheon and only Congresswoman Waters showed interest,” said Livers. “Despite calls and emails to their offices, not one person came on behalf of the city or the office of Jack Evans, whose ward we were in. But, we prevailed and the kids got the message. In the end, that’s all that matters. If just one of these kids decides to work for the Black Press some day, it was worth every penny we spent.”
The Historical Black Press Foundation sponsors the luncheon every third Friday of March to honor the first newspaper, Freedom’s Journal, that was founded in 1827 by Samuel E. Cornish (1795-1858) and John Brown Russwurm (1799-1851). Based in Washington, DC organization publishes the Who’s Who in Black Media directory and operates BlackPressWeek.com.
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