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The life of 19th century Richmond Planet newspaper editor John Mitchell Jr. — who fearlessly railed against lynching and segregation — will be showcased in a documentary debuting at the 11th annual Richmond International Film Festival on June 10.
Mitchell became editor of the Richmond Planet at 21, two years after the paper’s founding in 1882. Born into slavery, he earned a reputation as “the fighting editor,” because he sometimes risked his life working as a journalist.
Despite Mitchell’s major contributions, not much has been written about him, says Ron Carey, founder and CEO of Tilt Creative + Production, the Richmond-based advertising company that created the “Birth of a Planet” documentary. Last year, Tilt commissioned an outdoor mural by Richmond artist Hamilton Glass at its Scott’s Addition studio to honor the Planet, and the state legislature just approved a license plate recognizing the newspaper.
“There’s all this synergy happening around [Mitchell],” says Tilt senior producer Sylvester Tucker, “and we are just happy to be involved.”
Tilt’s creative team came up with the idea for the documentary to tell Mitchell’s story and also show off their craft. “We’d love to tell more meaningful stories for brands, and this was an opportunity for us to learn and get better,” says Scot Crooker, Tilt’s chief content officer.
“[Mitchell] resonated with me as an African American businessowner, because often we don’t own media companies,” says Carey. “And to have all of this amazing equipment and storytellers allows us to … do something that not many people could.”
Richmond journalist Sean Gorman partnered with Crooker to build a narrative using interviews with Mitchell’s descendants and articles from the Richmond Planet. Aside from editing the Planet, Mitchell also served on Richmond City Council and founded the Mechanic’s Savings Bank of Richmond. The bank closed in 1922, and Mitchell was accused of misusing its funds, although he was later cleared of all charges. In 1924, the bank reopened under new management, but it no longer reflected Mitchell’s dream of a Black-owned bank.
“Birth of a Planet” was filmed in 2021 while statues of Confederate leaders were being removed from Monument Avenue — a job accomplished by a Black-owned business, Team Henry Enterprises LLC. Prophetically, Mitchell once wrote of Black men: “He put up the Lee Monument, and should the time come, he’ll be there to take it down.”
Virginia Business Deputy Editor Kate Andrews contributed to this article.