When “Shaft” flashed across the screen in darkened movie houses, the era of blaxploitation soared, giving birth to a succession of copycat films that led to a Golden Age for Black actors.

John Shaft was a dark-skinned brother, sporting an afro, a turtleneck sweater and a maxi leather coat. There was no mistaking his race. Not only did I like the movie, but I dug his threads, too.

John D.F. Black Courtesy of Jacobs/Brown Media Group, LLC. John D.F. Black, who co-wrote the screenplay for Shaft and wrote and produced for the original Star Trek series, has died. He was 85.

The film Shaft is a modern tale about Black manhood today and an excellent starting point for a conversation between men and women on what manhood is.

OPINION: Richard Roundtree's groundbreaking portrayal of John Shaft was a turning point for Black art, culture and self-identity, but it is also a superhero origin story. In 2018, while writing a ...

Tim Story’s remake of 'Shaft,' starring Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree, will screen as the opening-night film at the American Black Film Festival.

Editor’s note: Sam Fulwood III is a writer and veteran news correspondent. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion at CNN. In the 1971 film “Shaft,” Richard ...