Micheaux was born in Illinois in 1884 to two former slaves.

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1 African American Cinema CLASS DISCUSSION Every year, the US Postal Service honors black Americans who have left their mark on American culture and society. This year, the 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors African American author and cinematographer, Oscar Micheaux. The stamp releases on June 22, Micheaux was born in Illinois in 1884 to two former slaves. Self-motivated and driven to success, Micheaux worked as a Pullman porter until he earned enough money to purchase a homestead in an all-white area in South Dakota. He began writing stories on his farm, tapping into his own experiences and allowing a truer portrait of the African American man to emerge. Micheaux was intent upon portraying blacks in dignified roles. To ensure that his characters were read, Micheaux started his own publishing company, and sold his books door-to-door. His book The Homesteader was very well received and allowed Micheaux to finance its adaptation to one of the first feature-length films in The Homesteader kick-started a 30-year career in film that produced 43 movies spanning westerns, romances, dramas, musicals, and comedies. Through his films, Micheaux strove to reverse the racist attitude in American society, portraying African Americans as human beings rather than stereotypes. Categorized as race films because they featured black actors only, Micheaux s work helped educate America about the world in which blacks lived, and the struggles within that world. Micheaux viewed his work as artistic, expositional instruction. Continued For support with this lesson plan, please contact the Community Connection team at info@uspsconnection.com, where an associate will personally respond to your query as promptly as possible.

2 USPS COMMUNITY CONNECTION Lesson Plan ACTIVITY Micheaux pioneered a school of movies called race films, a respected term until the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s, when cinema finally started accepting people regardless of race. Race films strove to break African American stereotypes, and as such effectively presented black Americans as normal human beings with troubles and joys similar to any other family. The US Postal Service commemorated this era of film with the Vintage Black Cinema series of At the end of this Lesson Plan, you will find the three supplements needed to engage your class in this activity. Each supplement provides a stamp image from the Vintage Black Cinema series. Based on your students maturity and comprehension, you may choose to be selective about this activity. 1. Divide your class into three groups. Provide each group with a separate stamp image supplement, and ask them to read it together (or with you as a guide). 2. Ask each group to consider what the plot, poster image, and character means to each movie they have been assigned. How is it important to African American culture, and what can it teach? 3. Ask each group to come up with a short scene or vignette that they feel might be relevant to their movie s plot. Encourage your groups to come up with ten to fifteen lines that might dramatically interpret their cinematic poster. After the vignette has been written, you may ask each group to perform their scene. 4. We may also suggest that, should your class have the resources, you search for videos online of some of the more lighthearted movies from the Vintage Black Cinema collection. There is much antique footage to be found of Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and Louis Jordan! DESIRED OUTCOME In a time of racial prejudice and inequality, African Americans used film to convey a sense of intellectual, artistic, and sociological style that proved to their fellow Americans they were just as human as anyone else. By analyzing the plots of simple movies, your students will begin to consider the universality of film and how it can break down typical social preconceptions. By challenging them to verbalize their own lines for another characters feelings, you are placing your students in a position where they will have to defend the rights of an individual of another social standing, time, and calling than their own. They will also have the freedom and openness to face an otherwise sensitive and delicate subject like civil rights. CURRICULUM STANDARDS History: Applying History: Individuals and societies change over time Social Systems: cultural characteristics reflected in language, literature, the arts Language Arts: Oral presentations

3 Supplement I Duke Ellington s big band swing music was part of the peaking of negro culture that took place during the Harlem Renaissance, an artistic movement that brought African American culture to the forefront of society. In Black & Tan, Duke Ellington makes his film debut playing himself as a financially struggling bandleader, desperate to find work for his orchestra. His fictional wife Fredi, a talented dancer who suffers from a dangerous heart condition, is in great demand by all the jazz clubs. Despite her fragile heart, Fredi agrees to perform so the jazz club will hire her husband and his band as musicians. Tragically, Fredi collapses on stage during Duke s climactic number, and he plays his famous Black and Tan Fantasy on her deathbed. The movie poster portrays a silhouette of Duke Ellington conducting his orchestra whose members were all black as they entertained the whites-only audience at New York s famous Cotton Club. Duke Ellington licensed by CMG Worldwide, Indianapolis, IN.

4 Supplement II African Americans found a voice for their stories in captivating race films, produced for black audiences featuring all-black casts. The silent film, Sport of the Gods is a sad tale of a black man s powerlessness in the south and the dangers of urban life for a black family in New York. The Hamiltons are a comfortable southern black family. When the senior Hamilton is wrongly accused of stealing from his employer, he is sentenced to 10 years in prison and his family flees to New York to escape disgrace. Hamilton s children fall prey to the city s more sordid influences his son Joe sinks into alcoholism and gambling; his daughter Kitty tales up with a tawdry crowd on a vaudeville stage; his wife Fanny mistakenly believes she is divorced and remarries. When Hamilton is finally released he goes to New York to reclaim his wife. They return to the south a changed and defeated couple. The movie poster shows a reluctant Kitty being embraced by a northern villain with the caption: A True to Life Story of Action, Thrills and Heart Interest

5 Supplement III In the 1930s, Josephine Baker was a famous and beautiful African American celebrity. While her African descent and provocative style made her unpopular in America, her unique look and passionate performances made her a star in France and one of history s first African American beauty icons. Princess Tam Tam is a romantic musical comedy in which French novelist Albert Prejean travels to Tunis and meets an enchanting, uninhibited native girl. He teaches her to walk, talk and act like a lady and brings her back to Paris where he introduces her to society as the Indian princess Tam Tam. She fools the elite with her fine manners and wardrobe until she lets loose in a wild and primitive dance, stunning and delighting her Parisian audience. The suggestion of an interracial romance between Tam Tam and Prejean caused the movie to be banned in the US, but it was a huge hit in Paris. Josephine Baker licensed by CMG Worldwide, Indianapolis, IN. The poster presents Josephine Baker as glamorous Princess Tam Tam in a gorgeous gown, casting an oversized shadow behind her. It suggests that there is more to the Princess than what meets the eye, and it hints at Baker s oversized talent and personality.