Malcolm X Addressing Black Muslim Rally in Chicago after 1963

This photograph by Gordon Parks captures Malcolm X addressing a rally in Chicago. It’s a black and white image; the contrasts are so bold and the composition is a study in stark simplicity. I imagine Parks, with his camera, almost as a painter with a brush, carefully composing light and shadow. What do you think he was feeling as he clicked the shutter? Was he aware that he was capturing a moment of significance for both Malcolm X and the Civil Rights Movement? He's got this powerful figure, with his hand raised, and his eyes—you can almost feel his intensity. The man’s presence fills the frame, and it feels really intimate. I wonder, did Parks plan that? Ultimately, the best works are those that ignite dialogue—an ongoing conversation between artist, subject, and viewer. This image does that for me.