Dan Moore Sr.

Noted filmmaker and museum founder Dan Moore, Sr. was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 20, 1935. After high school, Moore worked several jobs, but found his true calling in 1967 when he began producing films.

His first film was a documentary entitled On Patrol for God, filmed at a Christian rally he helped to organize. A few years later, Moore went to Liberia on Africa’s west coast and made the film Welcome Home, which was sponsored by the Liberian government on the condition that he return and make a second film, which he did. He would return to Africa and travel to several other countries, as well. His productions also include Gayle Sayers: Instant Replay, with cameo of Bill Cosby; Sweet Auburn: Street of Pride, narrated by Cicely Tyson and Julian Bond.

In 1978, Moore founded the African American Panoramic Experience Museum (APEX) in Atlanta, which seeks to educate people about the depth and breadth of the African American experience. His inspiration for the museum came as he attended a banquet honoring Dr. Benjamin Mays, and he dedicated himself to creating a museum that celebrates the unsung heroes of the African American experience. He remains there as executive director to this day directing the expansion of The APEX into a 90,000 square foot facility with a walk through history from ancient Africa to the present election of Barack Obama, first Black president of the United States of America.