New stamp honors pioneering black filmmaker

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 African-American to produce a movie and later introduced the actor Paul Robeson in 1924. Michaeux died in 1951. ___ _Copyright 2010 The Associated Press._