Coloring Independently: 1940s Film Stills from the Collection of the California African American Museum featured over eighty film stills and related photographs from CAAM's unique collection of African American films from the 1940s — a time of limited character roles and access to the mainstream movie industry. Typically referred to as "Race Films," these independent productions were created with a black cast and for an African American audience. Their distinct imagery and stories, now more than sixty-five years old, form an indelible part of the broader African American filmmaking tradition. Among the films on view were Beware (1946), showcasing musical pioneer Louis Jordan; The Betrayal (1948), directed and written by Oscar Micheaux; and I Ain't Gonna Open That Door (1949), starring Stepin Fetchit.