Finding Your Roots

Culture Series / 4 Seasons

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

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We’re Two Generations Removed From Potential Obliteration

1m 32s

Damon Lindelof reads an account of the atrocities committed by Nazi troops in 1941 when they invaded Bialystok, Poland, the hometown of his relatives, and created a Jewish ghetto.

Damon Lindelof Learns of the Horrific Fate of Relatives

2m 7s

"It's somewhat an affirmation of survival, in some strange way." Damon Lindelof learns that the World Holocaust Remembrance Center documents the killing of an entire family of his relatives by Nazis in the ghettos of Bialystok, Poland.

Regina King: “This is Pretty Fantastic”

1m 20s

“Even though he couldn’t read, and he couldn’t write, he could feel.” Regina King sheds tears of joy while reading the voter registration card of her third-great-grandfather, who registered only two years after slavery ended.

Leslie Odom, Jr.: His Ancestors Were People, Not Possessions

1m 38s

After hearing the dollar amount that some of his enslaved ancestors were appraised for at an auction, Leslie Odom, Jr. says that "to honor their presence and to honor the fact that they lived and that they weren't things... is deeply meaningful."

Joe Lane Becomes Nathan Lane

1m 11s

Nathan Lane, who was born Joseph Lane, explains how the stage name he had to pick to join the Actors’ Equity Union was inspired by the character Nathan Detriot from Guys and Dolls, one of his favorite roles.

Leslie Odom, Jr. on How “Hamilton” Changed His Life

1m 6s

Leslie Odom, Jr. wanted to be in the room where it happened – and he was! Here, he shares the impact his role as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton: The Musical” had on his life and how groundbreaking the play was in promoting colorblind casting on Broadway.

Leslie Odom, Jr.'s 5th Great-Grandfather Was a Slaveowner

1m 14s

Leslie Odom, Jr. wrestles with the realization that his 5th great-grandfather was a white slave owner after reading the will in which he bequeathed some of his belongings to his “illegitimate, colored” children.

Nathan Lane’s Grandfather Died in a Workhouse

51s

Nathan Lane gets the disturbing news that his great-great-grandfather died while living in a workhouse, an arcane system of labor in the UK that was basically a factory that exchanged dorms and food for hard labor. You literally lived at work.

John Leguizamo Learns About His 9th Great-Grandfather

1m 6s

“I can’t believe I got a ninth great-grandfather. What, are you gonna go to the beginning of time?” John Leguizamo is stunned by how far back his lineage has been traced.

John Leguizamo’s Lineage is Traced Back 17 Generations

1m

“My family is going to freak out and bug out.” We were able to trace back John Leguizamo’s lineage over ten generations, learning that his 15th great-grandfather was the governor of the Pompeian district in Spain.

Lena Waithe Discovers Her First Free, Post-Slavery Ancestor

1m 36s

“I’m filled with gratitude for all of these amazing human beings who lived and worked and raised their children and fought, and survived.” Lena Waithe after reading the birth record of her great-great grandfather, the first person on her family tree to be born free after the abolishment of slavery.

Lena Waithe Learns Grim Statistics on Slave Life Expectancy

1m 22s

“I think there’s a level of ‘not being able to understand’ that I don’t think will ever come. It’s not meant to be understood.” Lena Waithe learns that the life expectancy of slaves on a sugar plantation was seven to nine years.

Lena Waithe Learns the Source of the Name “Waithe”

1m 21s

“It’s painful because your name is such a huge part of your identity. So for someone to put their identity onto your family, it just feels unjust,” Lena Waithe reacts to hearing that her surname derives from her ancestors’ slave-owning family in Christ Church, Barbados.

A Family, Torn Apart by Slavery, Reunites

1m 29s

“This is a movie!” Terry Crews is relieved to hear that members of his family, torn apart during slavery when the children were sold off, eventually found their way back to each other again.

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