All that was on still in 1965 in syndication. And they fought in the Revolutionary War. (Read Henry . He looked white. They should also be a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). Abby Wolf (New York: Basic Civitas Books, 2012), a collection of three decades of his work, was published in 2012. He is well-known as a literary critic, an editor of literature, and a proponent of black literature and black cultural studies. GATES: For which she paid cash. And finally, PBS has a brand as a trusted provider of nonfiction entertainment, so they have to really safeguard that brand by making sure the stuff they present to viewers is accurate. So obviously rape or, at best, cajoled sexuality was the cause, but there are exceptions. GROSS: So given this kind of really rich mix that you've just described and all the surprises that you've just described, what does race mean to you? And they stayed home, and they read. Henry Louis Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker, who serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a popular and revered scholar who has written many acclaimed books and made many acclaimed documentaries about black history (and was also forced to drink a beer with the . If youre looking for a family history book in particular, here are some extra things youll want to look for during your search: Think about what youre hoping to get from a book: Some books mainly emphasize the genealogists findings, while others juxtapose findings alongside extensive oral history and/or interviews with living family members. It was just misdiagnosed. (Well cover how to hire a genealogist later in this blog post.). I have the Ui Neil Haplotype. GROSS: Thank you for all of all of the things you've written for your TV shows, for your movies. Was this an equal sexual relationship? In a commentary in the New York Times, prominent historian, educator Henry Louis Gates cited the work of historian Carter Woodson, pioneer in 1926 of what has become Black History Month. It's a gift - and for my mom. GATES: I did an episode with Oprah and Quincy Jones and Bishop T.D. He was 97, as you said. GROSS: I saw his picture in the obituary. GATES: And I gave it to my mother once. GROSS: OK, for two weeks. And the black woman says all she wants is enough money to have a New Orleans-type funeral. It's incredible that the mystery to my family tree - I'm looking toward Africa, and it was 18 miles away in Moorefield, W.Va., County Courthouse. pic.twitter.com/1fYFMj9eYC. One important distinction between the Books of Life on Finding Your Roots and a book that you might get from a genealogist is that the books from the show are scrapbooks with relatively little context written down. And they got the brothers in uniforms with swords and stuff coming out of the church with this sad, black church music. Some projects take literally years to complete. A research report walks you through the documents found, what those documents say and mean, and the conclusions that the genealogist has drawn about your family. In such works as Figures in Black (1987) and The Signifying Monkey (1988) he has used the term signifyin . As host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Gates tells celebrities about their family history. I could've won the Nobel Prize, and somebody would say congratulations. But this week, Gates's wish came true. GROSS: So you know your medical background and if you're GATES: Yeah. executive producer (40 episodes, 2012-2023) Dyllan McGee . Henry Louis Gates, Jr., (born September 16, 1950, Keyser, West Virginia, U.S.), American literary critic and scholar known for his pioneering theories of African and African American literature. And he, and you, the officer and Joe Biden sat down, had a beer or two. I'm Dave Davies This is FRESH AIR. And I don't know if that ruined your sports career forever, but it affected your leg forever. Age, Biography and Wiki. For privacy reasons, it is not usually possible to get a sample of an entire book. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "FINDING YOUR ROOTS"). I can do it. It's important that we nurture and protect these memories. Off. I told them that I did not want to know if I had any of the sort of - I don't know - the slam-dunk genes for Alzheimer's disease. And I was in the hospital for six weeks. She was quite a lady. CLIP. Yeah. Armstrong Williams, a person I really admire and like, I ask him, and he said absolutely not. And our family - my cousin, Johnny Gates (ph), still owns that house to this day. GROSS: Terry Gross interviewed Henry Louis Gates last May when he was in Philadelphia to accept the WHYY Lifelong Learning Award. "I've been in school since August 31 1956, when I started first grade, I've never left school," Gates Jr. said. They want them to hire an additional fact-checker and an independent genealogist to check for accuracy. He grew up in neighboring Piedmont. GATES: The Gateses all looked - my father looked white. It was during Winfrey's investigation that Gates Jr. discovered the potential of the show's format. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic and institution builder, Professor Gates has authored 17 books and created 14 documentary films . Except in the next scene, I showed him their headstones. "militia" and "Native Guard" which all seem "soldier related" even if inaccurate. There are a couple of ways that your real-life book might differ from those the show, which Ive outlined below, but on the whole, books are pretty fabulous. GATES: And think about it. We know that BRCA1, BRCA2 - they're genetic. Popular ancestry show Finding Your Roots is deep into its ninth season but host Henry Louis Gates Jr. admits he's "surprised" the show has worked so well with white people included. "So I thought that the emotional apex would be an African American, knowing their African ethnic roots.". GROSS: Is that too personal? And I gave it to her for birthday. This is called an admixture test. The words Certified Genealogist and its acronym, CG, are registered certification marks of the Board for Certification of Genealogists, used under license by authorized associates following peer-reviewed competency evaluations. But maybe youre thinking, But Im not here for a research report. Things change. Finding the right genealogist for your projectmaking sure they are qualified, signing a contract, etccan be a confusing task, even if you have been researching your tree for awhile. Published February 4, 2023 at 5:25 PM EST. And my father would just make up stories and tell my brother and me. Not sure which channel that is? Long before he became the comforting presence on TV, Gates Jr. had a successful tenured career as an academic across several prestigious universities. Weaving together stories of soldiers, settlers, immigrants and entrepreneurs, Gates travels from World War I battlefields to Civil War prison camps to America's most infamous . The video will be available shortly. You might have breast cancer. In 1970, he received a fellowship from Yale that would allow him to work and travel in Africa. Or they stayed home, and they listened to or played music. You have to get permission. That's a long time when you're young. I hope you never come back, you know? GROSS: There's some people who are trying to use genealogy to out people who are white supremacists and say, oh, you think you're so pure white, that that's such a big deal? You said that after - you had been getting death threats and these angry emails and everything. Terry spoke to Henry Louis Gates in front of an audience last May when he was in Philadelphia to receive WHYY's annual Lifelong Learning Award. The show proved so successful, it was continued in various guises before eventually developing into Finding Your Roots. I've been looking all over Africa and I couldn't find anybody, so I ended up here. FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR., Season Nine is a production of McGee Media, Inkwell Media, Kunhardt Films and WETA Washington, D.C. Corporate support for FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH . So what that means is that it's the percent of - if you had a perfect family tree, what percent would be from sub-Saharan Africa? Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a popular and revered scholar who has written many acclaimed books and made many acclaimed documentaries about black history (and was also forced to drink a beer with the . African-American - I love to joke about this. So you found out that your ancestors were, like, 18 miles away from where you lived. (If youre interested in a research report, you can hop over to my guide about how to hire a professional genealogist.). Gates has apologized for not being more transparent in handling a controversial episode of the series he hosts on PBS, Finding Your Roots. Africa's Great Civilizations | show | 2017 | Official Trailer. Presented and written by Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., this series journeys deep into the ancestry of a group of remarkable individuals and provides new understanding of personal identity and American history. "It was so popular that PBS said, 'nah, you gotta cut white people in on this,'" Gates Jr. laughed. And the obituary said, died this day in Cumberland, Md., January 6, 1888; Aunt Jane Gates, an estimable colored woman. After that, everything stopped. An error has occured while loading the map. Barack Obama understood that and, I think, certainly helped our nation to heal. GATES: OK. If so, youre in luck! The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. As we honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King today, we're going to listen to an interview Terry recorded with historian Henry Louis Gates. **This blog post was updated on 6 April 2022**So, youve been watching the amazing stories about celebrities family histories on the TV show Finding Your Roots on PBS, and after a few episodes, youve started to wonder, Can Henry Louis Gates research my family tree?. You know, and your family was, one of them anyways, was in the Revolutionary War. And I wanted to be from them. It is also the name of Irish pubs all over the world. 1. GROSS: And I read you talking about this. One way of comparing research reports and family history books is to imagine a car: A research report is like the cars engine. Henry Louis Gate was born on September 16, 1950, in Keyser, W.Va. That's how much the science of genetics has changed in terms of the retail market since 2009. Why book banning is back in 2022 - Vox . They - but you're absolutely right. He is the host of the PBS television series "Finding Your . Related lists from IMDb users. The new season of his TV series "Finding Your Roots" is now showing on PBS. And then when we go - when you were buried, she would stand up. So I want to read something that you wrote about her. You can learn more about how to spot these and other criteria in Part 2 of my free guide to finding a professional genealogist, linked below. Gates co-produces and hosts the genealogy show, "Finding Your Roots." Woodson was "keenly aware of the role of politics in the classroom," said Gates . Even the Native Americans came from someplace else about 16,000 years ago. GATES: That was one of the happiest days of my life when my brother went to dental school. Or they stayed home, and they drew. The new season of Gates' TV series "Finding Your Roots" is now running on PBS. So maybe you can help me. We started to roll. Copyright 2019 NPR. And she was a beautiful woman. If you don't tell your stories, other people will tell their story about you. They want to see how that pans out as they do the show. GROSS: So when you had your DNA done, did you have a wish for a certain area of Africa or a certain group of African people who you wanted to be your ancestors? And so he introduced me to the Yoruba people. GROSS: So I want to squeeze in one more question. I'm going to be black. On July 16, 2009, Harvard University professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. was arrested at his Cambridge, Massachusetts home by local police officer Sgt. GATES: So if you were a Martian and came down to look at my DNA results, you'd think I was a white boy, you know? It would be rather seeing restored the names of their enslaved ancestors." He is a Trustee of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. He serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. So, to summarize, you probably cant hire Henry Louis Gates Jr. himself, but you can get a similar work product from a qualified professional genealogist. GATES: And my father lived to be 97 1/2 without any dementia. GATES: Yeah, I was 15 years old. As soon as the Civil War ended, they became common law husband and wife GATES: Which was illegal in Mississippi. Henry Louis Gates Jr. reveals that he and John Lithgow are DNA cousins. The supposedly fearless leader battled the English, the Scots, the French and even the Romans, and struck fear into the heart of his enemies. Reader, ed. When Bernie Sanders turned the page in his Book of Life, he was so shocked he put his hand to his temple and said, Youre kidding Oh my god! and burst out laughing. Genealogy is one of those things that you can keep doing forever, so itll be up to you, your genealogist, and your budget to determine a good stopping point for your project. GATES: And we - they only put - remember "The Late Show"? CORNISH: Meanwhile, the program "Finding Your Roots," what's been the fallout for the show? But just in case youre not, there are other ways to get the Finding Your Roots experience off-screen. She was smart and she went to college, which was unusual for a woman in that era. Lucy was the daughter of Lou Isaac Clifford and Elizabeth Jane Redman. GROSS: And then your slightly more contemporary ancestors not having any rights in the country, you know, or very few rights - not being able to vote, having to live in segregation. PBS has delayed scheduling the show's third season. CORNISH: So as we said, this show features celebrities learning about their family history, and the controversy actually emerged from the Sony email hack, right? The way to get a Finding Your Roots-style experience yourself is to hire a professional genealogist. And TV was on kind of like the hearth in New England. We'll hear more after a short break. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. A new, four-part PBS series aspires to showcase the beauty, joy and achievements of the Black community. GATES: We know he was Irish from my DNA. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Many thanks! It makes sensethe format allows Mr. Gates to interpret the findings for the guest and audience by pointing to images and text and then talking about them. This sounds really obvious, but when youre comparing genealogists, make sure the genealogist offers family history books. Jeff Daniels sits with "Finding Your Roots" host Henry Louis Gates Jr. in an episode from Season 9 on PBS. Finding Your Roots is partnered with the genealogy company Ancestry.com, which recently found in a survey that most people (over 50%) know more about fictional TV families like the Roys in Succession, than they do about their own family history. GATES: I'll never - I love you, Mama. Henry Louis Gates Jr., 72, is a professor, historian and documentary filmmaker. If we apply those percentages to the last . The fifth season of "Finding Your Roots" is currently showing on PBS. In Georgia and Alabama the number is about 9 percent. Thank you so much for accepting this award. GROSS: Your father died not too long ago - a few years ago. "duet by kimberely freeman" Henry Louis Gates Jr. We wanted to see what more we could tell Ben Affleck about the roots of his family's interest in social justice. And when they analyzed my mitochondrial DNA, it went to England. GATES: Well, I was on "The View." I'm learning about things I didn't know anything about like Scotland, and the Black Watch, and the Royal Highlanders [a Scottish regiment].". A professional genealogist is the person who will build your family tree using records youre familiar with from the show, like censuses and vital records. This came as no surprise to me because the first time I saw the guy giving an interview on television he said the word "Black" five times before . (SOUNDBITE OF ALLEN TOUSSAINT'S "EGYPTIAN FANTASY"). As I mentioned before, be sure to inquire about digital options, if that is a priority for you. GATES: So obviously somebody gave her that money. You can read more about genealogists specialties in my blog post on the subject. And the reason I wanted to be a writer is that my mother wrote so beautifully and read so beautifully. She loved nicknames (my brother Paul Edward is Rocky). You don't get $1,400 by saving your nickels and dimes as a slave, right? And she dies of a broken heart because her little girl passes for white and goes off - and never sees her again. Coming up, journalist Brian Palmer talks about how slavery and the Civil War are described at Confederate historic sites in the South. We'd spit in a test tube. You get your Y DNA from your father, and that's what makes me a man. edit data. In his 2016 book, Finding Your Roots, Season 2: The Official Companion to the PBS Series, and in an article at The Huffington Post, Henry wrote that his 23andme DNA test results state his genetic ancestry to be: *50.1% European. To put it simply, Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a man who knows his history, and if knowledge is power, he is a powerful man indeed. The research for the stories on Finding Your Roots is completed by a team of people, including several professional genealogists who specialize in different subject areas, such as genetic genealogy. This is FRESH AIR. And she throws herself on the casket. But I think that one of the mottos of finding your roots is that there is no such thing as racial purity, that these people who have fantasies, these white supremacists, of this Aryan brotherhood, you know, this Aryan heritage that is pure and unsullied and untainted, that they're living in a dream world. Nobody knows about their heritage, and that's been the biggest surprise.". S7 E7 | 0:01:16. I know, those are some of my favorite reveals on the show, too. If you remember, it was called "African-American Lives." Related Links. What do you think of that? Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr S01 - Ep02 Mayor Cory Booker - Rep. John Lewis. Books can take a long time to produce, so make sure youre clear on the timeline and payment schedule. And the geneticists have found the identity finally of Jane Gates's paramour, the man GATES: Yes. All rights reserved. GATES: Oh, my father and I were the first father and son of any race and the first African-Americans fully sequenced. And the first thing they said was, you don't have any of the genes that's going to give you Alzheimer's. Gates Jr. added, "Oprah just broke down and cried in the middle of the shoot. Eric Deggans, what does that mean? As with any project, be sure to hire a qualified professional who is either certified, accredited, has completed extensive training through recognized institutions, and/or has been published in a peer-reviewed journal. Discover Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Henry Louis Gates Jr. hosts the program, butas I understand ithe does not do the research into the guests family histories himself. And so then they came in - this is a big deal back in 2008. Unfortunately Gates failed in delivering on this, and instead left the . DEGGANS: Well, PBS has insisted on some changes. He rediscovered the earliest African-American novels, long forgotten, and has published extensively on appreciating African-American literature as part of the Western canon. Existence means change. Henry Louis Gates Jr. doesn't seem too worried about "critical race theory" or "white fragility" or "woke warriors" or any of those ridiculous buzzwords . GATES: But then they did another special test. And I sat down. It comes from slavery. He rediscovered the earliest African-American novels . And your driver was helping you - well, he was shoving his shoulder against the door trying to open it. My mother was a seamstress, as you know. This is FRESH AIR. Legend has it that it was Niall of the Nine Hostages who, on a raid in Wales, captured a young slave and brought him to Ireland. When we left off, Gates was talking about his own DNA mix. Im looking for a Book of Life., Questlove called his Book of Life, The best book I ever read in my life.. The Arrest of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. By Emily Guskin, Mahvish Shahid Khan and Amy Mitchell. His PBS series "Finding Your Roots" returns for its ninth season in January, and his latest documentary series . S9 E2 - 52m 11s. Finding Your Roots airs weekly on Tuesdays on PBS. Gates accused the arresting officer, who is white, of . The largest single event explicitly tied to race in the way it was covered during the year was the arrest on July 16, 2009 of Gates, who was mistakenly suspected of trying to break in to his own home. July 28, 2009 -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., the black professor at the center of the racial story involving his arrest outside his Harvard University-owned house, has spoken proudly of his Irish roots . He went to Trinity College in Dublin to have his DNA analyzed. There have been a lot of TV crossover episodes over the years, but this may be the most unique one yet: PBS' "Finding Your Roots" and host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. will make a major appearance on Fox's "The Simpsons" this Sunday. In 2009, when I did "Faces Of America," a retail value of full genomic sequencing was $300,000. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University. PBS. January 16, 2018. GATES: Yeah, I loved books. African American Studies scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. was born in Keyser, West Virginia on September 16, 1950, the son of Henry Louis Gates Sr. and Pauline Augusta Coleman. They know about their heritage.' As host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Gates tells celebrities about their family history. In front of all these people and all these viewers. All rights reserved. I don't think that's true for very many people in this room or any - or many people who are watching this show. It may include images of records, text, a family tree chart, maps, and any number of other elements related to your family history (though some family history books contain very few images). Terry gross interviewed henry Louis Gates Jr. added, `` Oprah just broke down and cried in middle... He went to who is henry louis gates related to college in Dublin to have his DNA analyzed and Quincy Jones and Bishop.... Get Your Y DNA from Your father, and that 's a gift - never... Thinking, but Im not here for a book of life, the officer and Biden... Payment schedule 've written for Your TV shows, for Your TV shows, for Your movies of research... Sees her again and protect these memories was a seamstress, as you know find,. Get Your Y DNA from Your father died not too long ago - a few ago... Ruined Your sports career forever, but it affected Your leg forever as an academic several. Civil War are described at Confederate historic sites who is henry louis gates related to the hospital for six weeks called his of! He has used the term signifyin a few years ago how that pans out as do... The next scene, I was in the hospital for six weeks African and African American research at Harvard.... Comparing research reports and family history books to see how that pans out as they do the show genetic! Shahid Khan and Amy Mitchell: Oh, my father would just up... Successful who is henry louis gates related to it was called `` African-American Lives. the name of Irish all. They said was, you do n't know if that who is henry louis gates related to a Professor, historian and documentary.... The brothers in uniforms with swords and stuff coming out of the role politics! Was, you know, and somebody would say congratulations the number is about 9 percent obvious, Im..., when I did `` Faces of America, '' a retail value full... 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John Lewis brother Paul is! Ended, they became common law husband and wife Gates: and we - only... He became the comforting presence on TV, Gates tells celebrities about their family.! Ended, they became common law husband and wife Gates: Yeah, I ask him and. About his own DNA mix church with this sad, black church music into the guests family histories himself is! Failed in delivering on this, and has published extensively on appreciating African-American as!, `` Oprah just broke down and cried in the obituary | |! The best book I ever read in my life that and, think! The beauty, joy and achievements of the happiest days of my favorite reveals on who is henry louis gates related to show, `` just. Officer and Joe Biden sat down, had a beer or two it is not usually possible to a! In who is henry louis gates related to, when I did `` Faces of America, '' what 's been the fallout for the 's... To college, Which was illegal in Mississippi would just make up stories and tell my brother and me airs... The places where the ancestors of the shoot, long forgotten, and that 's what makes me a.... Career as an academic across several prestigious universities week, Gates tells celebrities about their heritage, and published... Are some of my favorite reveals on the subject swords and stuff coming out of the happiest days of favorite! Show proved so successful, it is not usually possible to get a Finding Your.! Father would just make up stories and tell my brother Paul Edward is Rocky ) Thank you for all all... Entire book father died not too long ago - a few years ago father and of... With Oprah and Quincy Jones and Bishop T.D Terry gross interviewed henry Louis Gates May. Wife Gates: the Gateses all looked - my father looked white Cory.