Marlon Riggs

Professional Trajectory

Marlon Troy Riggs (February 3, 1957 – April 5, 1994) was an American filmmaker, educator (professor), poet, and gay rights activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several television documentaries, including Ethnic Notions, Tongues Untied, Color Adjustment, and Black is... Black Ain't. Riggs created aesthetically innovative and socially provocative films that examine past and present representations of race and sexuality in America. The Marlon Riggs Collection is now housed at Stanford University Libraries.