On Tuesday, May 20th, Chief Content Officer of Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director of Vogue, Anna Wintour, fashion model and activist Bethann Hardison, artist Rashid Johnson, and civil rights ambassador Andrew Young were honored at this year’s Gordon Parks Foundation Gala.
The gala took place at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. It marked the foundation’s 18th annual celebration honoring the enduring legacy of visionary photographer and multidisciplinary artist Gordon Parks and current impactful changemakers for social justice in photography, philanthropy, fashion, film, music, business, and the arts. All proceeds from the gala support year-round educational programming as well as the fellowships, prizes and scholarships provided by The Gordon Parks Foundation to the next generation of artists, writers and students whose work advances Parks’ legacy and vision, as well as peers of Parks with the launch of the newly instated Legacy Acquisition Fund.
The evening’s co-chairs and supporters included: Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, Tonya and Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Anderson Cooper, Sarah Arison, Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault, Michi Jigarjian, Judy and Leonard Lauder, Carol Sutton Lewis and William M. Lewis, Jr., Crystal McCrary and Raymond McGuire, Gail and Jeff Yabuki, Alex Soros and Huma Abedin, Clara Wu Tsai, Tory Burch, Dapper Dan, Alina Cho, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Amy Griffin, Maya Harris, Cord Jefferson, Malcolm Jenkins, Misty Copeland, Gayle King, Ari Melber, Leslie Odom, Jr., Maxwell Osborne, Deborah Roberts, Marcus Samuelsson, Annie Leibovitz, Jay Ellis, Prabal Gurung, Breanna Stewart, Michael Stipe, Mickalene Thomas, Dao-Yi Chow.
The gala began with special guests Pastor Ernest Ledbetter, Jr., and Ernest Ledbetter III, whose father and grandfather were photographed extensively in 1953 by Parks for a story on Chicago’s Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church, opening the night’s programming with a moving invocation. Next, Oscar-nominated actress and Grammy Award-winning singer Andra Day performed “God Bless The Child”. In speaking about what made Parks so unique, Day said, “I was telling someone the other day this isn’t about the right camera or the right lighting, it’s just his eye. Everything that he saw was magnificent. The one where Muhammad Ali is sort of shrouded in the hoodie. It’s such an intimate moment; I think it’s so beautiful. I just think no one had his eye.” Day later closed out the evening, returning to the stage to perform “Rise Up”.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: Andra Day performs onstage at The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2025 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gordon Parks Foundation)
While on the red carpet, Gayle King stated about Parks’ ability to capture all the diverse sides of Black life, women and children, “What I like about us as a people is we’re very diverse, we can do anything, and you can take us anywhere, and he showed that.”
Gordon Parks Foundation’s Executive Director Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. welcomed guests and spoke about the significance of this year’s gala by saying, “Since this gala began in 2007, we’ve celebrated many extraordinary evenings — but tonight may be the most critical gala we’ve ever held. Because now, we are facing some of the strongest forces we’ve ever faced, determined to prevent progress, to erase history, and to silence the voices that challenge injustice. Gordon gave us clear instructions: ‘Take what I’ve built—and push it forward. Take what I’ve started—and carry it into the future.’ That future is NOW. That’s why this gala matters, because every dollar raised supports young artists who are breaking barriers, telling urgent stories, and forging new paths forward. They are the future, and we must protect their ability to create, to challenge, to lead, and to make change.”
Parks, who became a renowned photographer and gained recognition for his photographs, including American Gothic, Washington DC, and his work with Life, started at Vogue over eighty years ago in 1944. Receiving the honor was a full circle moment for Wintour, who spoke briefly to The Knockturnal upon arriving on the red carpet about her favorite works created by Parks. Wintour responded, “I would say all of his work for Vogue.” Later during the gala, while accepting her award, Wintour mentioned her long admiration for Gordon Parks’ courage and the strength of his point of view, also admitting that historically, Vogue could have done more for Black artists and designers. “We can still do more, and we will”, Wintour remarked. Emmy Award winner and Golden Globe, Oscar, Olivier & Tony Award nominee Colman Domingo presented Wintour with her honor, mentioning to The Knockturnal which of Parks’ works are his favorites, saying, “I would say Shaft, but there’s so much more.”
Kunhardt, Jr. also recognized two celebrated artists and members of Gordon Parks’ circle, Mikki Ferrill and LeRoy Henderson who are part of the foundation’s inaugural Legacy Fund, a collection-building initiative that will focus on mid- and late-career artists whose enduring work is connected to Parks’ life and legacy, as well as this year’s Gordon Parks Foundation’s Art Fellows: artist and educator Derek Fordjour, photo-based artist and feminist activist Scheherazade Tillet and The Gordon Parks Foundation’s Genevieve Young Fellowship in Writing recipient Salamishah Tillet, the 2022 Pulitzer Prize-winning contributing critic-at-large for the New York Times. While on the red carpet, Henderson advised those who want to follow in his footsteps to “Pay attention, keep up with what’s going on, and make sure you’re there.”
Conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas, whose mother, contemporary artist, photographer, historian, author, and educator, Deborah Willis, was mentored by Gordon Parks, took the stage to pay tribute to acclaimed contemporary artist Rashid Johnson and said, “Coming to this gala changed my life. This gala is where I realized I could make waves for generations.” Johnson accepted his award, celebrating the pursuit of freedom to create art and expressing gratitude to the other artists and changemakers in the room.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: Rashid Johnson speaks onstage during The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2025 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Gordon Parks Foundation)
The Roots’ trumpet player Dave Guy performed a charming musical interlude with “Ruby’s Rubies” while a seasonal fare of arugula salad with cherry tomatoes, artichokes & shaved parmesan, Prime roast sterling filet of beef, Chilean Sea Bass, broccolini and potato tortino was served ahead of the night’s live auction of Gordon Parks’ photographs led by powerhouse Sotheby’s auctioneer Kimberly Pirtle. From the auction, a record-breaking $3 million was raised to advance the foundation’s work.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: Andrew Young speaks onstage at The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2025 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2025, in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Gordon Parks Foundation)
Fashion designer and author Aurora James was joined by model and actor Tyson Beckford, who spoke about fashion’s role in helping to bring about change before presenting honors to legendary model and activist Bethann Hardison. Hardison stressed during her speech, “now we have to be extremely brave.” Creative director, photographer, and activist Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe presented the night’s last award to Ambassador Andrew Young, the beloved politician, minister, and civil rights leader who was U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Mayor of Atlanta, and a U.S. Congressman, wearing Ghanaian attire to spotlight their plight, his speech was particularly moving as he recalled, “Before I met Gordon Parks, I heard of the power of Gordon Parks. Today, I dream of a world where peace and justice reign and hunger and war cease. This audience is a testament to the faith I have in humanity. We’ve come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 20: (L-R) Gordon Parks, Tyson Beckford, Bethann Hardison, Peter W. Kunhardt Jr., and Aurora James attend The Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction 2025 at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 202,5 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for Gordon Parks Foundation)
