Until recent years, genealogists assumed that African Americans hoping to trace their family histories would be blocked by slavery, the "peculiar institution” that changed slave names and dispersed families, leading to "lost, stolen, or strayed" records. In this moving four-part documentary, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. takes himself and eight other prominent black Americans, including Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chris Tucker on an epic journey, using a combination of family memories and onsite research to deftly interweave the family histories of all nine, gradually working back from the present: through the seminal experience of the "great migration" of blacks from south to north in pre-WWII America, and further back to the trials of Reconstruction, before finally reaching the dark era of slavery. Gates draws on these painful experiences to illuminate a larger portrait of black survival, presenting a tale of redemption and triumph, told with understanding and humor. The video's last chapter explores how the new tools of DNA research enable blacks to trace their ancestry back to Africa, sometimes even pinpointing the region, tribe, and village of former slaves. A reminder to all, regardless of color, that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before, African American Lives is a stirring and informative documentary. Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)
African American Lives
(2006) 2 videocassettes or 1 disc. 240 min. VHS or DVD: $34.99 ($64.95 w/PPR). PBS Video. Color cover. Closed captioned. ISBN: 1-4157-1694-3 (dvd). Volume 21, Issue 5
African American Lives
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