400 Years Since 1619: Melvin Van Peebles, the Godfather of Black Film, Is Dead at 89

Actor-writer-director-composer Melvin Van Peebles—a Renaissance man who promoted Black economic empowerment and helped usher in a new era of Black filmmaking with his best-known work, the 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song—died Tuesday night at 89.