Oscar Micheaux: Pioneer, Novelist, Film Maker

From his birth in 1884, in southern Illinois, to his death in 1951 in Charlotte, North Carolina, Oscar Micheaux was an iconoclast who set about to prove that “a colored man could do anything a white man could do – and better.” This was not a popular idea in the post slavery era, but influenced by Booker T. Washington and Horatio Alger, Micheaux managed to carve a legacy for the American film industry and for black Americans by using the timehonored formula of “up by your bootstraps.” This presentation traces his life and his work, emphasizing especially his experience as a Pullman porter on the Pacific Northwest run and his nine years as a sod house homesteader in south central South Dakota. It explores the effect that his experiences in the west had on his 7 novels and more than 40 films, and the effect that his black-cast films had on African Americans and on the film industry. The presentation also provides a glimpse into post-slavery black America through the eyes of a man who lived it.

Hiding in Plain Sight: African Americans in the American West, 1802-1880

Although the role of African Americans in settling the American West has been often overlooked, Africans were present with the first black slaves brought to Louisiana Territory by the French to mine lead in Missouri in 1719. Others followed. The first African American of record to experience the West was York, William Clark’s personal slave. Although many have been forgotten, others’ stories can be found hidden in a literature that often considered race irrelevant. This presentation touches on the lives of Jim Beckwourth, Ed Rose, and others who followed the fur trade; Isaiah Dorman, who died at the Battle of Little Big Horn; George Bush, who went on to successfully settle in Washington State; and others who tasted freedom in temporary jobs on the forts.

Melting Pot or Chunky Soup: American Diversity in a Racist Century

This presentation is a trip through the 20th century. It explores where we’ve been in human relations, and suggests where we might be going as we examine the worldwide influences of the early 20th century that created the illusion of an American melting pot. Although the variety of ethnicities and races that contributed to the pot never quite melted into “Americans All,” many of us grew up believing the myth and struggling with our inability to absorb and accept the obvious differences among people. Tracing the confluence of the post-Civil War “reunion” efforts with the tide of immigrants and freed slaves who were very “different,” the effects of pseudo-science, the worldwide struggles of nation building, and the way we were taught history, Vanepps-Taylor examines the forces that made reconciliation and acceptance so difficult during the first half of the century. She then explores the changes that came with World War II – mass education, the civil rights struggle, television and the media – and suggests some ways of coming to terms with an America that is becoming increasingly diverse.

Voyage of Discovery: Discovering York

The Lewis & Clark Bicentennial coincides with an era in which 21st century Americans are increasingly aware of our history of cultural and racial diversity. The people who made up the Corps were as diverse as present-day America. Not only did the white men represent the spectrum of the New World's cultural, social, and ethnic backgrounds, but there was also the Indian woman with her mixed-race son, and William Clark's slave, York. York was the first African-American of record to visit the West. A careful study of the Journals shows that he acquitted himself well. Recent advances in black history research have de-bunked old myths and brought him from the shadows to provide a more accurate view of the man and the complex racial realities and dynamics of the early 19th century. This presentation focuses on both his adventure and his place in the context of this era.