The Life of Oscar Micheaux

The rise of film in the early 20th century gave people a new way to express themselves through means previously not possible. While this new technology was used in ways to support racism and hate groups like the KKK, as seen in the 1915 film Birth of a Nation, it was also used to challenge segregation. One person who used film in this manner was Oscar Micheaux, the first black filmmaker.

Micheaux was born in around Metropolis, Illinois in 1884. While not much is known about his early life, it is known that he moved to Chicago at the age of 17, where he became a porter for the Pullman company. Not long after, he moved to South Dakota, where he bought land and homesteaded among whites. Here, he published his first book, The Conquest: The Story of a Negro, based on his experiences in South Dakota.

Micheaux later lost his land due to a drought, causing him to move to Sioux, Iowa, where he founded his book publishing company, the Western Book Supply Company, shortly before publishing The Homesteader, the sequel to The Conquest in 1917. After publishing the book, a film company wanted to make a movie adaptation of The Homesteader, but Micheaux declined, as he would not be allowed to direct the film or ensure a suitable budget.

While this deal ultimately failed, Micheaux became inspired to make his own adaptation of his book. As a result, he changed the Western Book Supply Company into the Micheaux Film and Book Company and began production of The Homesteader. The film would release in February 1919, becoming the first feature-length film made by an African-American.


Shortly after the release of The Homesteader, Micheaux released his second film, Within Our Gates, in 1920. This served as a rebuttal to DW Griffith's Birth of a Nation, which glorified the Ku Klux Klan and was the first of many "race" films by Micheaux.

Micheaux continued to make films until his death in 1951, at which point he would have released over 40 movies. His endeavors continued to have massive influence, with his 1931 film The Exile becoming the first time a black filmmaker had sound, and 1948's Betrayal became the first film made by a black filmmaker was released in white theaters.

Source: https://www.biography.com/people/oscar-micheaux-9407584