The title of our exhibit, The Industry of Uplift: Silent Race Film, The Lincoln Motion Picture Company and George P. Johnson was drawn from the idea of Uplift Ideology, an early 20th century philosophy in which the black upper classes and cultural elite worked to bring other members of the African-American community up from a subjugate position of racial and economic oppression. The LMPC proved a pioneer in their creation of dignified representations of African-American characters; but even more so in their ability to create financial success by bringing these narratives to black audiences who were hungry for quality content and willing to show up at the box office. In these successes, race filmmakers found validation of their beliefs that black audiences had the critical mass and economic power to support the new form. As a result, the genre of race and silent race film blossomed and grew. While the success of this new genre points to a niche waiting to be filled in the film and media community, the fact of the LMPC’s success specifically paved the way for the storytellers who followed, creating opportunity, space and belief in the power of the genre.