Known as "race movies", these films, traditionally independent of Hollywood, were made primarily by, for and about the black community.
Race movies actually began around 1910 in Chicago in response to the Black Community longing to see themselves reflected on the silver screen via this new medium of film.
[4] This includes a look at early silent films, most notably the work of William Foster (The Pullman Porter, 1910).
With the transition to sound, Micheaux continued to make race films, some of which were controversial even within the Black community.
Midnight Ramble was chosen as the lead-off for a 1998 Turner Classic Movie Channel series, A Separate Cinema, in which 29 race films were shown, including Micheaux's 1920 Within Our Gates and The Symbol of the Unconquered (1921).