This week on Under the Radar:

From the moment D.W. Griffith’s “Birth of a Nation” became a film sensation, racist portrayals of African Americans have been embedded in film history. Author Wil Haygood begins his history of Black films with white filmmaker Griffith’s movie, documenting the setbacks and triumphs within the context of American Black history. His new book,“Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World” reveals surprising and shocking details left out of most film histories.

Haygood is currently the Boadway Visiting Distinguished Scholar at Ohio’s Miami University, following a 3-decade career as a correspondent both at the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. The Pulitzer Prize finalist has written eight other books including, “The Butler: A Witness to History” made into a feature film. “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World” is our October selection for “Bookmarked: The Under the Radar Book Club.”