New stamp honors pioneering black filmmaker

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pioneer filmmaker Oscar Micheaux was honored Tuesday on a new U.S. postage stamp.

The 44-cent stamp is the latest in the agency's Black Heritage stamp series. It was released at ceremonies in New York and is on sale nationwide.

Michaeux was a director, screenwriter, producer and distributor who was involved in more than 40 films chronicling the experience of African Americans.

"His films not only entertained, they left audiences with a sense of encouragement, hope and inspiration," postal vice president Delores Killette said in a statement.

According to a biography prepared by the NAACP, Micheaux was born near Metropolis, Ill., in 1884 and began writing stories while homesteading a farm in South Dakota.

He formed his own publishing company to sell his books and later formed a film company after begcoming intrigued with movies.

He was the first black American to produce a movie and later introduced the actor Paul Robeson in 1924. Michaeux died in 1951.