In 1915, membership in Ku Klux Klan surged with the release of D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of A Nation. Griffith’s film championed white Christian supremacy, heralding a new age of racist filmmaking.
Black activists pleaded for The Birth of A Nation to be banned because of its disgusting racism, historical inaccuracy, and violence. Instead, it was screened inside the White House for the president and the Supreme Court. So one Black director decided to fight fire with fire.
Oscar Micheaux, the first Black filmmaker, created a new cinematic vision directly aimed at The Birth Of A Nation. His film Within Our Gates portrayed Black characters in a way that emphasized our humanity in all its richness.
Unlike Griffith’s film, Micheaux’s Within Our Gates was banned or censored in some cities, but its cultural impact has endured. Micheaux used his films to counter racist caricatures and tell our stories as they should be told. Controlling our narratives is our right, our power, and a blow to white supremacy.
At a time when racist films were mainstream, Oscar Micheaux fought the lies with films made about, for, and by Black people. We, too, can uplift ourselves by supporting each other. Only we can tell our stories and wield their power.