They raised a record $3 million for Black artists!
Under the chandeliers of Cipriani 42nd Street, a historic evening unfolded that celebrated icons, inspired the next generation, and raised a record-breaking $3 million to support Black artists and storytellers. The 2025 Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction paid powerful tribute to a number of notable figures, including two living legends—Bethann Hardison and Andrew J. Young—whose lifelong commitments to justice and representation echoed the very ethos of Gordon Parks himself, Forbes reports.
Bethann Hardison, the pioneering model turned fearless fashion advocate, delivered a deeply moving reflection on bravery and purpose. “It takes bravery to do a lot of things right now. We have to be extremely brave. Extremely brave,” she said, offering a vulnerable and powerful reminder that shaking systems often starts with speaking up, even when the cost is high. Her decades of advocacy for diversity in fashion not only transformed runways but redefined who gets seen and celebrated in the global cultural conversation.
Ambassador Andrew J. Young—civil rights leader, U.S. congressman, mayor, and diplomat—was also honored for a legacy rooted in liberation and global impact. As one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest allies, Young helped shape the course of American history through activism and policy, embodying the very courage, vision, and compassion that Gordon Parks captured so vividly in his images.
The evening’s energy surged during the live auction, where Parks’ prized photograph Department Store, Mobile, Alabama (1956) sold for $140,000, breaking previous records. The image, showing a Black woman and her niece beneath a “COLORED ENTRANCE” sign, offered a searing portrait of segregation-era America. Like all of Parks’ work, it stripped away abstraction and placed the humanity of Black life front and center.
Executive Director Peter W. Kunhardt, Jr. captured the urgency of the moment. “Since this gala began in 2007, we’ve celebrated many extraordinary evenings, but tonight may be the most critical gala we’ve ever held… Gordon gave us clear instructions: ‘Take what I’ve built, and push it forward.’ That future is now.”
The night also honored artist Rashid Johnson and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, and celebrated the 2025 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellows—Derek Fordjour, Scheherazade Tillet, and Salamishah Tillet. Mikki Ferrill and LeRoy Henderson, longtime chroniclers of Black life and protest, were recognized as peers and protégés of Parks’ visual legacy.
The program included a soul-stirring performance from singer-songwriter Andra Day, and opening reflections by Rev. Ernest F. Ledbetter, Jr., and Rev. Dr. Ernest F. Ledbetter III. Celebrity guests and cultural changemakers from across industries filled the room—including Dapper Dan, Misty Copeland, Gayle King, Jay Ellis, Annie Leibovitz, and Malcolm Jenkins.
With co-chairs like Alicia Keys and Kasseem Dean, Spike and Tonya Lee, Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault, and Carol Sutton Lewis and William M. Lewis, Jr., the gala was more than a fundraising event—it was a movement. One that affirmed Parks’ legacy not as a memory, but as a mission still in motion. By honoring those who paved the way and investing in those who are breaking ground today, the foundation ensured one thing: the work will continue, and the light will never dim.