This is based on the PBS Documentary Special: “Henry Louis Gates Jr. — Uncovering America”. The documentary was narrated by Emmy winning Actor, Courtney B. Vance.
It’s no surprise that Henry Louis Gates Jr. (nicknamed Skip) has been known for so many accomplishments. From being a Professor in Harvard, to being a literary critic, and a filmmaker. However, one of his finest crafts was telling the ancestry of hundreds of famous faces, on PBS. His works include the 4 episode docuseries “Faces of America” in 2010 to the current series called “Finding Your Roots” (currently on its 5th season.) He has told stories about race relations, African American history, and cultural connections. This is his story of Henry Louis Gates Jr., his adventures, some of the most remarkable series on PBS (including the new series, Reconstruction: America After the Civil War), and how he transformed about the history of African-American culture.
The title “Uncovering America” has been based on Gates Jr. and his marvelous work of uncovering history and truths on the roots of so many people. He was awarded with a Pulitzer Prize for journalism, an Emmy award, a Peabody award, a McCarther Genius Grant, and a National Humanities Medal from US President Bill Clinton. He also received 55 honorary degrees, and was one of 25 Most Influential Americans by Time Magazine.
Gates was born in West Virginia, where it used to be a Jim Crow state. In a small town in his home state, he attended a high school where many students were predominately White. His mother wanted him to be educated. And educated he was. He got an undergrad degree at Yale for history, a doctorate degree for English history at University of Cambridge, and an amazing career in academia.
Surprisingly, one of the celebrities that took his classes was actress/director Jodie Foster. She said that Gates brought studies of African and African American history. He has an effortless quality by what he did.
Gates was a professor at Harvard University in the 1990’s, who was also the director of the Hutchins Center for Africans & African American Research. However, he has been famous for his doing on PBS (which stands for the Public Broadcasting Service). In order to make a difference in America and beyond, he would speak to a huge public. Over the past 20 years on PBS, Gates has done a lot on PBS, from writing, producing, and hosting 18 different TV Series and Documentaries. (as both a historian and a storyteller). He was aware about the about blending a huge American history and stories from Africa. However, he was determined to share his insights to the viewers about the history, and personal journey. Here are several of his series on PBS, and a snippet base on the shows:
• The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross (2013): In the 1890s, many African Americans immigrated North and West. They first ran out, before the flood occurred. Much known as the Great Migration, it became the largest number of African Americans migrating in American history. (Episode: The Great Migration)|In the 20th century, the African Americans were facing cruel intentions against themselves. However, their fighting spirit helped reinvent themselves. After fleeing the South, they reorganized the racial structure in every city and town in the North and South. Black Culture reached a renaissance in both a political and economic increase. (Episode: Profound Transformations)|At the time of the Civil War, the African Americans were hopeful that the words “created equal” would apply to them. Sadly, they were not. During the birth of the United States of America, there were 700,000 slaves at that time. They had neither rights nor power, though they were determined to fight for their rights. Their struggles helped shape America forever. (Episode: The Age of Slavery)| He was surprised that several ancestors in Port Loko, Sierra Leone were profited from the trade as slaves. There were 500 slaves in that nation, in which that one person made money from it. Earlier settlers were in a positions in which Africans were more of slaves, and not people. This was based on religious beliefs that they could not enslave another person. (Episode: The Roots Of Slavery)|In Covington, Kentucky, in January of 1856, one of the incarcerated woman named Margaret Gardner was on a farm. She was 22, and married with 4 children. With freedom a couple of miles away, she along with her husband made an escape. They traveled at night, and make it to the Ohio River, away from enslaved Kentucky to Free Ohio. At a quarter mile high, it was a chilly excursion, as the Gardners risked their lives. After arriving in a small house in Ohio, the marshals not only track the family down, they also killed them. (Episode: An Escape to Freedom)|Priscilla was a 10-year-old enslaved girl, who lived in the Ball Plantation. It was one-half of the Comingtee Plantation, where 25 African-American slaves were purchased. Edward Ball is the Fifth Generation member of a family that owned the rice plantation for 200 years. He has spent years debating on his family past. Priscilla was one of 4,000 slaves that they owned. (Episode: Priscilla)|In 1968, the Civil Rights moments achieve many accomplishments, whther in court or Congress, (Episode: Reaching the Mountaintop)|The African-American people helped build America before their independence. After 5 centuries, the weakest members in society actually were able to change the World. (Episode: Change the World)|The journey for Africans and African Americans were far from over. After generations of resistance, hope, and the unimaginable, they continue to rise.(Episode: And Still We Rise)
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The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross explained about the chronically African American history spanning 50 years, from slavery to America today. It also talked about how many African Americans helped contributed towards the United States. He took it upon himself to take the story of African American narratives, and make these stories a relevant part in American history. This series won him both an Emmy and a Peabody award.
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• Black America Since MLK and Still I Rise (2016): Gates opened up about his parents and himself. He has seen huge progress from African-Americans. Some of those people including Mahummed Ali, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Oprah Winfrey, Michael Jordan, and the first African-American President Barack Obama. Unfortunately however, many Black Lives were still threatened, which included Trayvon Martin. Therefore, the community kept marching on for human rights, while chanting “Black Lives Matter”. He asks these following questions which includes: How did they get here? How did they get so far, and yet how much far to go? (Episode: How Did We Get Here?) | Gates said he grew up in the World where the world from growing, segregation ended, and where African-Americans broke through barriers. He saw rallies and revolutions. He was convinced that change would come.(Episode: Out Of The Shadows)|From one of the speeches, he said that just because several people were born from skid row, didn’t mean that they didn’t have to live in a run-down neighborhood. They would rise from it when they put their minds to it. Gates remembered watching it in 1984. He felt a sense of hope. But, the major question was, how did race still matter. (Episode: Did Race Still Matter?)| For the African Americans, they had the strength, the willingness, to stand for the right, and break the odds, regardless of risk. Gates said that based on how far they came, (Episode: The Strength)|2008 might be the year of the economic depression, but it was also known as a historic year. During Election Day, Gates knew that as the line stretch, Barack Obama made history as the first African American president of the United States of America. Dr. King said that one day, the people would be judged by the content of character, which it did. It became awe inspiring not just to Gates, but to every Black person. (Episode: The Election of 2008)|On August 29th, 2005, Gates was in disbelief when Hurricane Katrina damaged New Orleans. 80% of the city was flooded, while 100,000 residents had no food or a place to live. Almost every African-American in the city were victims. He question about why race relations were back, leading to horrific consequences. (Episode: Hurricane Katrina)
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The series was about the American Americans trying to open the floodgates on society, but not without struggles and fights. It also took a closer look about Martin Luther King Jr., and his dream. It was basically about the story of the United States, but in an African American standpoint. However, the series was personal for Gates, only because about his life and issues that he had to talk about. Nevertheless, he courageously tackled those issues.
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• Africa’s Great Civilizations (2017):He mentioned about the descendants who were ancestors of Africans, as well as the oldest human population coming from America. The continent was known as static and isolated, but Africa was more than that. (Episode: Origins)|In the 14th Century, Timbuktu, Mali was a place for mystery and imagination in one of the remotest place in the World. But, this Malian city is one of the greatest city for scholarship, learning, and trade. (Episode: Empires of Gold)| In what was formerly known as Great Zimbabwe, the significance of this place were based on the imports and exports that came in that place. One of those imports was the shards of Ming Dynasty porcelain in China (which showcased about Great Zimbabwe’s dining style.) The colors of blue and white glass, was used to make plates. The Africans were building cities from the 13th Century-15th Century. There has been a debate based on what is civilization in Africa. Surprisingly in Africa, the continent would send messages from text. (Episode: The Myth of Africa)| Civilizations throughout Africa was able to experience a Golden age from the 11th century to the 17th century. Several cities of Africa was on the trades of the riches of their natural resources. Good and ideas flowed in and out of Africa. This was during Europe’s Middle Ages. (Episode: The Golden Age of Africa)
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“Africa’s Great Civilization” was based on the birth Africa’s Civilization from 2,000 years ago, and traced all the way to the present. It was a very personal journey for Gates. He wanted to know where he came from. Although he knew that he was an African-American boy growing up in West Virginia, he wanted to explore more about his African roots. He wanted to rebrand Africa as where all the history came from. He also wanted to prove that Africa was more than just mud, huts, and flies. It was based on the questions he was asking from his personal life. Contrary to people’s beliefs that there was no civilization for Africa, there was an education and hopes to Africans and African Americans alike. It was due to the 6-hour series, it became a groundbreaker, and shattered many myths and misconceptions on Africa. The goals were to explore cultures, religion, vibrant cities, and the rich natural resources Africa had. He even made incredible connections based on the past and present, revolutionizing history.
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But his work was not just limited to documentaries. He also had one of the new groundbreaking series, based on the works of genealogy, and finding a connection to individual history, he called it: Finding Your Roots. The series premiered on March 25th, 2012, as regular folks and famous people discover their genealogy. By connecting people through their family connect, one DNA at a time. Eventually, the series about a deeper understanding about the American story. It allowed him to allow to help celebrities breakthrough their stardom, and talk about their vulnerabilities. For instance in one 2016 episode, Hip-Hop legends LL Cool J (real name James Todd Smith) and Sean “Diddy” Combs both grew up without fathers, and grew without nothing. For LL Cool J (noticing synomiously for his Hip-Hop scene, hosting 5 Grammy awards, actor on NCIS: Los Angeles, and host of the popular TV show “Lip-Sync Battle”) unfortunately his grandparents were not related to him, and that he embraced the sad news, but wanted to figure out who is real blood relatives are. He knew about the perfect love. He and his mother wanted to learn more, and deserved better. Fortunately though, he was able to find his biological grandmother, and she survived almost living was 100 years..
Gates and his team uses old school and investigation tools, in order to track down paper documents, and track DNA in genetic analysis. One of the big moments in every episode, would be when celebrities and folks alike would turn the page. Perhaps no one felt that emotion more than Scarlett Johansson (known as the Black Widow from Marvel’s Avengers series). During World War II, her Jewish family members died, during the Warsaw Ghetto. Among those members killed was Moisha Lamberg, where her death was unknown, whereas her children Zlata and Montel died at Warsaw Ghetto. After reading that page, Johansson felt more connected to her side of her family.
Another celebrity featured on “Finding Your Roots” was Deepak Chopra, author/ medical doctor known for his books based on health. He saw the skills of how Gates’s skill of a historical explorer helped Chopra go back to his sixth grand-father, Chavak Ram Chopra. The newly formed family tree went all the way back based on the finding in Haridwar.
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In many of his series, Gates would unite his personal history, and the larger narrative of the collective history. Because of this, it has help made history come to life, and strike a cord with the viewers. One of his saying was that some moments in history, even ancient history can be personal. The work that Gates has done took time, research, effort, and patience to uncover so much history. He made documentaries to help teach the American public about the African American history, and make it a broad narrative. Gates said that what he wanted to see on television, was the make the documentaries, that look like him. Especially about the African culture. What Gates did was about telling the stories to bring America closer, and not divided. He also help the public learn base on the stories everyday. Most essentially, he wanted to bring hope for the future. However, he had to bring disparaging truths in face of tragedies. His way of teaching history was telling stories of individuals, and not just facts. Vital storytelling was at the heart for him to tell the stories on programs on PBS. He has been working both on the screen, and behind the scenes. Basically, it was all about the content, and telling stories in the most vivid way possible. In Gates’ sense, propaganda is when they feel the authors hand on their shoulder. The art was to create documentaries, while attracting viewers about a story that would inspire them. His unique exploring in history (regarding a family, nation, or continent), has impacted him in America. He has helped inspire the next generation. He and his parents were able to pick the vocations like applications. According to Gates, part of the reason way he wanted to do documentaries was to share the blessing, his experience, and for the audience to be educated and hear uncensored stories of history. He wouldn’t retire for the World. As he would books, television series, and documentaries to help venture the history America wanted to hear. All told, he has made 16 documentaries (starting in 1994.)
Those praising the work of Gates include LL Cool J, Jodie Foster, Ken Burns, Deepak Chopra, and Vance himself. But the rave wasn’t just from celebrities, it also included professors like Dr. Kellie Carter Jackson (Wellesley College), Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust (Harvard University), Dr. Cornel West (Harvard University), Dr. Jelani Cobb (Columbia University) his collegues like Dyllan McGee (Executive Producer) and researchers like Glenn H. Hutchins (Hutchins Center for African & African American Research) just to name a few. One of the critics that raved Gates’ work was Eric Deggans from NPR.
But Gates wasn’t finished yet! Soon on PBS, there will be a new series called “Reconstruction: America After the Civil War.” He explores one of the most misunderstood times in American history after the Civil War. Many people knew about the USA fighting in the Civil War in the 1860’s. However, what happened afterward was the mixed emotional period known as the Reconstruction. The Reconstruction was America was promised to become a land of freedom. AS Black people were in the House of Representatives and Senate, poor whites and black saw a common cause. However, almost 150 years later, much of the Blacks were haunted by the Reconstruction, and how it fell apart. The Reconstruction has been misunderstood and misrepresented.
Newstime salutes Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. for not only uncovering America, but for also making Americans understand the history a little more. If you want to honor him, log on to this link to buy Uncovering America with Henry Louis Gates, DVD & Book combo with 3 DVDs and 2 books. Also, if you are a fan of his current series “Finding Your Roots”, the series DVD combo pack can be found here. Either way, you will help support PBS for years to come.
This special documentary was made possible by Contributions to PBS Viewers Like You. Thank you. Speaking of PBS Viewers, this is the month where 305 stations in the United States, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, need your support. Without PBS, documentaries, news, and TV shows for kids and adults alike would not be possible. If you wish to help PBS continue to broadcast shows for years to come, you can log on to PBS.org to show your support for PBS, their shows, local stations, and the PBS Foundation.
Newstime with Sophia Melki 