According to NationalService.gov: Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?” This question was posed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The organization also states, “On MLK Day, Americans across the country come together for a day of service, picking up the baton handed to us by past generations and carrying forward their efforts. As one people, we show that when ordinary citizens come together to participate in the democracy we love, justice will not be denied. So make the commitment to serve your community throughout the year – and make MLK Day a day on, not a day off.”
Years ago, some great photographers captured Americans coming together during difficult times – fighting for the rights of generations to come. Photographers like Steve Schapiro and Gordon Parks whose work is shown here, documented our nation progressing towards a greater equality.
Depicting the march from Selma-to-Montgomery, AL in March 1965, the nonviolent discipline of the marchers became such a resonant chapter in the black freedom struggle that Barack Obama, in 2007, went to Selma to speak in the early years of his Presidency. The march is also the focal point of the Oscar nominated film, Selma.
Works by Gordon Parks are currently on display at Atlanta’s High Museum in an exhibit called Gordon Parks: Segregation Story. The exhibit runs through June 7, 2015.
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