John Edwin Mason: Documentary, Motorsports, Photo History

This Is Not a Lynch Mob: Charlottesville and the KKK

This is not a lynch mob. That might seem like a strange thing to say about this photo. But perhaps not, depending on your knowledge of history or the color of your skin. There's no question that a black man or woman who came across a scene like this, in 1917 -- it's somewhere just outside Charlottesville, Virginia -- would proceed with a great deal of caution. Read more →

Gordon Parks, Ella Watson, a Boy, a Bugle, and the American Flag

Pictures are complicated. So is being black in America. Throughout his life, Gordon Parks wrestled with both of these enduring truths. At first glance, Gordon Parks' most famous photo -- his portrait of Ella Watson -- looks pretty simple. Gordon Parks/Farm Security Administration: Government Charwoman (Ella Watson). Washington, D.C., August... Read more →