Oscar Micheaux

January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1950

“One of the greatest tasks of my life has been to teach the colored man he can be anything.” -Oscar Micheaux 

The path that was paved by Oscar Micheaux created opportunities that allowed the likes of Tyler Perry, Spike Lee, Jordan Peele and many more Black Film Producers to take ownership of how they culture is portrayed on the big screen. 

Given the attitudes and restrictions on black people at the time, Micheaux overcame them by forming his own publishing company to buy his books door-to-house.

The advent of the motion picture industry intrigued him as a vehicle to tell his stories. He formed his own movie production company and in 1919 became the first African-American to make a film. He wrote, directed and produced the silent motion picture The Homesteader, starring the pioneering African American actress Evelyn Preer and based on his novel of the same name. He again used autobiographical elements in The Exile, his first feature film with sound, in which the central character leaves Chicago to buy and operate a ranch in South Dakota. In 1924 he introduced the moviegoing world to Paul Robeson in his film, Body and Soul.

Given the times, his accomplishments in publishing and film are extraordinary, including being the first African-American to produce a film to be shown in “white” movie theaters. In his motion pictures, he moved away from the “Negro” stereotypes being portrayed in film at the time. Additionally, in his film Within Our Gates, Micheaux attacked the racism depicted in D.W. Griffith’s film, The Birth of a Nation.

The Producers Guild of America called him “The most prolific black – if not most prolific independent – filmmaker in American cinema.” Over his illustrious career, Cledisson Micheaux wrote, produced and directed 44 feature-length films between 1919 and 1948 and wrote seven novels, one of which was a national bestseller. (sourcehttps://www.naacp.org/naacp-history-oscar-micheaux/)

 James 1:24 says You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. This scripture states the importance of this quote by “the quintessential self-made man” as stated on blackpast.org  

There is no barrier to success which diligence and perseverance cannot hurdle.

– Ocscar Micheaux