Finding Your Roots

Culture Series / 7 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.

52m 10s / TV-PG

Anita Hill Learns Her Great-Great Grandparents’ Identities

1m 22s

“I can’t explain it. It really just goes to something deep inside me that feels like I’m connected.” Anita Hill meets her great-great grandparents who were listed in the 1870 census living in Bowie County, Texas for the first time.

Anita Hill Unpacks Her Optimism and Humble Beginnings

1m 17s

Despite growing up as the youngest of 13 siblings in a home without indoor plumbing or running water, Anita Hill says she was always optimistic about her future because of her mother’s spirit.

Anita Hill Wins “The Genealogical Jackpot”

1m 13s

“This is like winning the lottery!” Anita Hill is stunned to learn that her great-great-grandfather lived in one of only THREE counties in the U.S. to record the names of enslaved people in the 1850 census.

Activist Roots Preview

32s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. welcomes Brittany Packnett Cunningham and Anita Hill, two guests who made profound sacrifices for social justice, and helps them discover the ancestors who made sacrifices for them.

Season 8 Official Preview

3m 7s

A new season of Finding Your Roots premiered January 4, 2022! Tune in for all-new episodes as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores fascinating ancestries and family mysteries for an array of notable guests.

Raul Esparza on His Father's Disillusionment with Castro

36s

“They really did think, ‘New government, new hope, new chance’ “: Raul Esparza describes his father’s and his uncle’s disillusionment with the new Castro regime in Cuba as it became more and more repressive.

David Chang Imagines His Great-Grandfather’s Life in America

1m 4s

David Chang reacts to reading his great-grandfather, Woo Sang Yong’s application to Yale Divinity School. Yong left his wife and his 7-year-old son behind in Korea to study in the U.S.

David Chang Shares A Story Relatable to Many Immigrant Kids

1m 6s

“I remember pretty early on there was a distinct difference between white people food and the food that my mom would make,” David Chang says about his mother’s culinary influence on him.

David Chang Discusses Things His Family Never Talks About

1m 25s

“My mom grew up in a castle, and my dad’s side is basically just hustlers”: David Chang describes being aware of his parents’ vastly different backgrounds, but also having a deeply-rooted sense that he shouldn’t ask questions about their upbringing.

Raúl Esparza Reads His Grandfather’s Congressional Testimony

1m 30s

“The government instructed the Cuban Embassies of Madrid and London to Hunt me down and send me back to Havana”: Raúl reads from the transcript of his grandfather’s congressional testimony after he was forced to defect to America when his wife fled Cuba.

Clues About Lee Daniels’ Fun-Loving Side of the Family

1m 3s

“That’s why they’re so damn uppity.” An 1850 census reveals clues about Lee Daniel’s grandmother’s fun-loving, musical family and why he has always felt a special connection to them.

One of the Most Prominent African Americans in Washington

1m 16s

Despite being born into slavery, Rebecca Hall’s great-grandfather, John Ewing, went on to work at the U.S. Treasury, attend Howard University and befriend Frederick Douglass.

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