Genevieve Young was married to Gordon Parks and was a renowned book editor. She had a role in editing Parks’ first book, The Learning Tree, published in 1963. Young was also instrumental in the creation and development of the Gordon Parks Foundation beginning in 2006, and served on the Foundation’s board from 2006–2020. Writing was an important aspect of Parks’ career – like photography, the printed word offered endless opportunities for exploration and ingenuity, revealed through his work as a journalist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter.

"Gordon Parks had a great eye for troubled people, and it really got to him — and his desire to help fix it is his legacy." Genevieve Young