She broke barriers in 1992 by becoming the first African American woman to have a full-length general theatrical release in the United States with her critically acclaimed film Daughters of the Dust. In 1999, the 25th Annual Newark Black Film Festival honored Dash and Daughters of the Dust as being one of the most important cinematic achievements in Black Cinema in the 20th century. In December 2004, The Library of Congress placed Daughters of the Dust in the National Film Registry where it joined 400 American films preserved as a National Treasures. “Daughters conceives of new symbols for black American struggle and resilience.”—Film Comment