For Release: Jan. 8, 2007
When African American Lives premiered on PBS last February, audiences and critics nationwide were especially drawn to the powerful discussions between renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr., the series host and executive producer, and talk show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey.In Oprah's Roots: An African American Lives Special, Gates, director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research and W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, and Winfrey continue their quest to discover the full history of her ancestors' struggles and accomplishments. It airs Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 8/7 p.m. CT on KET2 and Thursday, Jan. 25 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1.
Oprah's Roots builds on previously unseen portions of Gates's original interview with Winfrey and explores in further detail her formative years in Kosciusko, Miss., and in Milwaukee and Nashville. Additional in-depth genealogical and historical research reveals remarkable new stories about Winfrey's ancestors and elaborates on stories introduced in the original series.
The program also presents the dramatic results of her genetic analysis, which not only reveals that she has significant Native American ancestry, but also locates her matrilineal ancestors on the western coast of Africa. Oprah's Roots showcases Winfrey's family legacy, but also presents how census information and slave holders' property records can be used to locate African Americans' ancestors.
Oprah's Roots: An African American Lives Special is produced by WNET/New York. More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.