Birth of A Nation (1915) & Within Our Gates (1920) July 30, 2009

The museum will be screening segments of these two classic films as part of the Newark Black Film Festival. 'The Birth of a Nation' (segments only) was a groundbreaking Civil War film that told history from a decidedly racist perspective, damaging race relations for man years. 'Within Our Gates' by pioneering African American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux presents an early look at race and race relations in America. It tells the story of a woman who heads north to help raise funds for a school of poor black kids.