The use of promotional films by the Hampton (Virginia) Normal and Agricultural Institute between 1900 and 1917 is examined in this paper. The paper first traces the problems faced by Hampton and other private southern black schools during the early twentieth century and describes Hampton's extensive promotional efforts designed both to improve race relations and to raise funds. It then discusses the following topics: (1) vehicles other than film used by Hampton in its early promotional campaigns, (2) Hampton's financial commitment to its campaigns, (3) Hampton's decision to produce its own films, and (4) the type of early films produced by the Institute and their place in its campaigns. It describes several films in detail and relates how one film was used as an epilogue to D. W. Griffith's controversial film "The Birth of a Nation" to stress black progress since Reconstruction. The paper concludes that the Hampton campaigns helped the Institute move toward accomplishing its goals, although the addition of the Hampton film to "The Birth of a Nation" generated a large amount of negative comment, and that Hampton contributed significantly to the evolution of public relations practices in education. The paper includes an analysis of the effectiveness of case study methodology in research into public relations history. (GT)