Oscar Micheaux's "Within Our Gates"

Micheaux releases the earliest surviving feature film directed by a Black American — a direct answer to the racism of "The Birth of a Nation."

Key figures

The earliest surviving feature directed by a Black American — free to stream.

Connections to other moments, systems, and investigations — the links rarely drawn together.

responded to·Event
The Birth of a Nation
Micheaux made his film as a direct answer to the racism of "The Birth of a Nation."

Micheaux made his film as a direct answer to the racism of "The Birth of a Nation."