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Dallas, TX - "A society that wants to build the future must know its past, its real past, as it was." But what if that past had been lost, forgotten, hidden, or denied?

"Black Indians: An American Story" explores the issue of racial identity among Native and African Americans. This in-depth documentary examines the coalescence of these two groups in American history. Discounted, and often ignored by mainstream America, these minority peoples have often shared a common past. However, with their heritage ignored and their contributions denied they are all but invisible at the dawn of the new millennium.

"Black Indians: An American Story" is the latest release from the award-winning Native American production company Rich-Heape Films. Director Chip Richie and Executive Producer Steven R. Heape bring to light this vital but hidden story that is rich in history and compelling in its contemporary meaning. "It's an exploration of the untold story of two disparate peoples bound by circumstances beyond their control," says Richie. "We wanted to know who they are, how they came to be, the struggles that beset their past, and the challenges they face today."

A critical piece of our multi-cultural heritage, this subject is more often than not downplayed in the annals of American history and modern day classrooms. Far from headline news stories dating from the 1820's occasionally appear, in fits and starts, disclosing the perils and heroism of runaway slaves and Seminoles uniting to fight the U.S. Army in the Florida Everglades, or hailing the bravery of the Freedmen in the post-Civil War era.

It was a black and white world in the early days of the Republic and little or no thought was given to people of mixed race, especially if they looked "black". "We were told 'if you could pass for white, that's who you'd be; if not, it was usually better to be identified as black than Indian'," recalls Executive Producer Steven Heape. "It was this kind of thinking that later led to 'pencil genocide' -- changing one's race on a birth certificate to fit the skin color of the child."

A multitude of themes emerged from interviews with Black Indians from the Narragansetts, Pequots, Seminoles, Cherokees and other tribes. Leading historians deem blood versus culture, de-tribalization, and the importance of personal identity in an increasingly multicultural world as critical issues that bring to bear the need for a historically accurate and objective examination of this topic. "Black Indians: An American Story" reveals this unknown story; and raises powerful questions about racial considerations in 21st century America.