Birth of a Nation

Melvin Van Peebles — the “godfather of modern black cinema” left his cinematic immortal mark

Lapacazo Sandoval Contributing WriterOctober 7, 2021

Melvin Van Peebles, the pioneering African-American filmmaker who is best known for his films “Watermelon Man” and “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” transitioned on September 21, 2021, at his home in Manhattan. He was 89 years old.

HBCU in LA Advocates for Diversity in Film Industry, Reminding Young Black Filmmakers of Those Who Came Before

Imani Sumbi, Contributing WriterJuly 18, 2019

For many years, Stacy Milner, former executive assistant to the chairman of NBC and then to the chairman of Paramount Pictures, has devoted herself to increasing ethnic and cultural diversity in the entertainment industry. In 2010, she founded the Entertainment Industry College Outreach Program (EICOP), a recruitment initiative designed to channel students of color – primarily HBCU and Hispanic-serving institution graduates – into careers in this predominantly White field.