Shortly after the NAACP's crusade against "Birth of a Nation," a group of independent black filmmakers appeared on the scene: Emmett, J. Scott, George and Noble Johnson, and the legendary Oscar Micheaux defied the stereotypes and offered movies with black actors in stark contrast to the images otherwise available. Films produced by these pioneers were tributes to black endurance and ambition. These movies, referred to as "race films,” portrayed black people as doctors, lawyers, teachers, and lovers. Plagued by financial and distribution problems, these films virtually vanished by the end of the 1940s.

When the next professed great American cinematic masterpiece that featured African Americans, “Gone with the Wind,” was released in 1939, African Americans were less strident in their criticism, but less than happy with the film’s portrayal of them.

By and large they supported and applauded Hattie McDaniel who was awarded the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for her role in Gone with the Wind, becoming the first black performer to win an Academy Award.

Before the end of the decade, television would be invented and introduced to the American public. With television, as was the case with motion pictures, the question of characterizations and opportunities for qualified black men and women continued to be a problem.

At its annual convention in July 1951, the NAACP passed a resolution critical of the new television series “Amos 'N' Andy” and other programs stressing negative stereotypes. According to the resolution, shows like “Amos 'N’ Andy” “depicted black people in a stereotypical and derogatory manner, and the practice of manufacturers, distributors, retailers, persons, or firms sponsoring or promoting this show, the Beulah show, or other shows of this type are condemned."