In June of 1932, poet Langston Hughes, political activist Louise Thompson, and 22 other African American artists, filmmakers, and actors, traveled to the Soviet Union (USSR) to create a film about African American life in the American south. The film, aptly titled Black and White, was to focus on the many examples of racial discrimination … Read MoreLangston Hughes’ Visit to the Soviet Union (1932-1933)
John Daniel Singleton is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer known primarily for directing the films Boyz n the Hood (1991), Poetic Justice (1993), and Higher Learning (1995). Singleton was born on January 6, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, to Sheila Ward Johnson, a … Read MoreJohn Singleton (1968-2019 )
Image Ownership: Don Purdue (Fair Use) William Miles was a self-taught documentary filmmaker who has produced several documentaries on the history of black Americans. Miles was born in Harlem, New York on August 19, 1931. He grew up in Harlem on 126th Street near the … Read MoreWilliam Miles (1931-2013)
Ousmane Sembène, prolific writer and film producer, was born in January 1923 in Ziguinchor, Senegal. Official documents were rare in 1920s French colonies, so even though Sembène was officially listed as born on the eighth of January, he says that it is likely that he … Read MoreOusmane Sembene (1923-2007)
The poet, novelist, and screenwriter Sam Greenlee was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 13, 1930 after his family recently migrated from the South to the city. Greenlee attended inner city schools in Chicago and became politically active at a very young age. He participated … Read MoreSam Greenlee (1930-2014)
William Anthony (Tony) Brown, a pioneer in television programming for African American audiences, was born in Charleston, West Virginia on April 11, 1933 to Royal and Katherine Brown. The youngest of five children, he did well in school, excelling in English and drama, and overcame … Read MoreTony Brown (1933- )
Marlon Riggs was a black gay writer, filmmaker, and social activist. He was born in Fort Worth, Texas to a military family on February 3, 1957, and spent his childhood at various military posts, including time spent living in Georgia and Germany. Riggs graduated with … Read MoreMarlon Riggs (1957-1994)
Filmmaker Julie Dash was born on October 22, 1952 in Queens, New York. She received her B.A. in film production from City College of New York in 1974 and went on to earn a two-year fellowship to the Center for Advanced Film Studies at the … Read MoreJulie Dash (1952- )
Oscar Micheaux was the quintessential self-made man. Novelist, film-maker and relentless self-promoter, Micheaux was born on a farm near Murphysboro, Illinois. He worked briefly as a Pullman porter and then in 1904 homesteaded nearly 500 acres of land near the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in … Read MoreOscar Micheaux (1884-1951)
