Katrina Parks: Assertion Films, "Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road"

7/3/2025
Interview by Route 66 Centennial Staff

Katrina Parks: Assertion Films is a director, writer, and executive producer drawn to projects that highlight strong women and enrich our culture and environment.  Her latest film series, Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road, is being broadcast through American Public Television on PBS stations across the Nation.

Q: What is your relationship with Route 66?

Route 66 has been an inspiring muse that has driven my public history and documentary projects. My relationship with the Mother Road is rooted in storytelling—it began with filming 100 interviews, but it quickly became something deeper: an ongoing commitment to exploring and sharing the histories of the people who lived, worked, and traveled along the route. I see the highway not just as a symbol of mobility and the American Dream but as a living, evolving archive of cultural and historical memory. 

Q: What does Route 66 mean to you?

Route 66 means connection—across time, geography, and culture. It’s a place where stories live stories of migration, opportunity, hardship, resilience, and reinvention. I see it as a mirror of the American experience, and it continues to reflect who we are and where we’re going.  

Q: How will you celebrate 100 years of Route 66?

I plan to celebrate by continuing to amplify the stories of Route 66 through curating exhibits, my documentaries, and public programming.  I’m excited to bring more multimedia and immersive elements to Route 66 storytelling and to capture more stories of people on the road. The centennial is a chance not just to look back but to envision the future!

Q: When did your passion for Route 66 begin?

My passion began while working on a documentary about the Harvey Girls. As I interviewed some of the later Harvey Girls, they shared how, when the railroad industry began to decline, many of them found new work—or created it for themselves—on the Mother Road. That shift from rail to highway was a revelation to me. It opened up a new way of understanding Route 66 as a living corridor of adaptation and resilience, and I was hooked.

Q: Do you have a favorite location on Route 66?

This is a hard question.  I have several oldies, but goodies: Winslow, Arizona, Gallup, New Mexico, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, are all way up on my list. The cultural richness of the Southwest is tangible in all three, and they are deeply rooted in railroad, Route 66, and atomic history, my favorite historical themes. Every time I’m in any of them, there’s more to uncover, and I realize I’m in places whose layers I have only just begun to understand!  But I have a new favorite... I want to place Red Oak II outside of Carthage, MO, as Number One.  Red Oak II sums up the friendly, whimsical, and artistic nature of Route 66 more than any other place I’ve ever been.

Q: What is your hope for Route 66 during the next 100 years?

I hope Route 66 continues to be a place of connection and discovery. It would be amazing to see the corridor become more navigable by train, especially since much of the old Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe (ATSF) railway runs parallel to the Mother Road. Reviving that connection could offer more sustainable and accessible travel. I’d also love to see more small-town businesses that are designed not just for tourists but for locals—places built around local products, food, and crafts that help keep communities vibrant year-round.  Lastly, I’d love to see more storytelling centered around the people of Route 66 because that is what makes traveling the Mother Road such a unique experience!

Learn more about the Untold Story of Women on The Mother Road - an official project of the Route 66 Centennial:  https://route66centennial.org/index.php/celebrate/the-untold-story-of-women

For more information about Assertion Filma, visit: www.assertionfilms.com