Prince Among Slaves

Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. guides an all-new group on a journey to discover their ancestry in African American Lives 2, and a new documentary tells the story of an African Muslim prince who was captured in 1788 and sold into slavery in the American South. These programs and more are part of programming celebrating the history and achievements of black Americans.

Building on the widespread acclaim of African American Lives (2006) and Oprah’s Roots, which aired last year, the four-part African American Lives 2 journeys deep into the African-American experience to reveal the triumphs and tragedies within the family histories of an all-new group of participants. Gates guides genealogical investigations down through the 20th century, Reconstruction, slavery and early U.S. history, presenting genetic analysis that locates participants’ ancestors in Africa, Europe and America. Featured are the genealogies of poet Maya Angelou, author Bliss Broyard, actor Don Cheadle, actor Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, college administrator Kathleen Henderson, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, radio host Tom Joyner, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, comedian Chris Rock and rock ’n’ roll legend Tina Turner. It begins Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET1, Sunday, Feb. 17 at 10/9 p.m. CT on KET HD and Monday, Feb. 18 at 9/8 p.m. CT on KET2.

Prince Among Slaves, airing Monday, Feb. 4 at 10/9 p.m. CT on KET2 and KET HD and Thursday, Feb. 7 at 10/9 p.m. on KET1, tells the inspiring true story of Abdul Rahman, an African prince who survived 40 years of enslavement in America before finally regaining his freedom. Narrated by actor and hip-hop artist Mos Def, Prince Among Slaves was winner of the Best Documentary at the 2007 American Black Film Festival.

KET productions featuring African American themes this month include Connections with Renee Shaw, which regularly sheds light on issues affecting women and minorities across Kentucky. In February, Renee speaks with Elaine Farris, deputy commissioner in the education department’s Bureau of Learning and Results Services and Kentucky’s first African-American school district superintendent, who discusses her years of service and the future of education in Kentucky. The interview airs Saturday, Feb. 2 at 3/2 p.m. CT on KET1 and Sunday, Feb. 10 at 11:30/10:30 a.m. CT on KET2.

Louisville Life, which airs Thursdays at 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT, Fridays at 4/3 p.m. CT and Sundays at noon/11 a.m. CT on KET2, features African American sculptor Ed Hamilton on Feb. 7. Then, on Feb. 14, the program pays a visit to the Carnegie Center for Art & History in New Albany., Ind., to see its exhibit on the Underground Railroad and profiles Whitney M. Young Jr., the Kentucky native who headed the Urban League in the 1960s.

Kentucky Life features a segment on the standout basketball programs at segregated Kentucky high schools in the days before integration on the program airing Saturday, Feb. 23 at 8/7 p.m. CT and Sunday, Feb. 24 at 4:30/3:30 p.m. CT on KET1 and Sunday, Feb. 24 at 7/6 p.m. CT on KET2.

More information about KET programming and education services, as well as how to support KET, can be found at www.ket.org.