You might have prostate cancer that runs in your family. And she was a beautiful woman. When my daughters were born, I had them tested for sickle cell because - black people are not the only people in the world that have sickle cell. Affleck himself posted an apology on Facebook, saying that he'd talked to Gates about these changes, but the process was, quote, "collaborative." He reflects on his own history and some of the more controversial aspects of DNA testing. 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? GROSS: Is that too personal? So we went - my father showed us that picture and that obituary, and we went home. They lived together. GATES: Yeah, I loved books. That's not the way it was. The whole world calls me Skip. And so then they came in - this is a big deal back in 2008. GATES: You know, I'm totally exposed. They should also be a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists (APG). I killed my mama. I go, goodbye. Lucy was the daughter of Lou Isaac Clifford and Elizabeth Jane Redman. The new season of Gates' TV series "Finding Your Roots" is now running on PBS. Jeff Daniels sits with "Finding Your Roots" host Henry Louis Gates Jr. in an episode from Season 9 on PBS. And if you're Ashkenazi Jewish, you might have a higher risk for those kind of things or Tay-Sachs. edit data. In a real book from a genealogist, context like that provided by Mr. Gates on the show would be written down, so that you could read the book yourself without needing an interpreter to explain things. "Finding Your Roots" is essentially a pop genealogy show, right? "And I go, 'What? Unfortunately Gates failed in delivering on this, and instead left the . His mother cleaned . And I watched reruns of early black films like "Amos 'n' Andy" and "Beulah." More research time equals more discoveries, enabling the researchers to uncover those mind-blowing records fit for television. "I've been in school since August 31 1956, when I started first grade, I've never left school," Gates Jr. said. The authoritative record of NPRs programming is the audio record. Ironically, James Crowley, whose name in Gaelic means "hardy warrior," is also descended from the same line as Gates, having very close links to Niall of the Nine Hostages. Some genealogists even offer digital or e-book options! As host of the PBS series Finding Your Roots, Gates tells celebrities about their family history. And I couldn't imagine what, but two sets of those fourth great-grandparents are from my mother's line. And I want to start with the person who got you started in genealogy. That the emotional apex would not be around them discovering where in Africa their mother's mother's line came from. We're all admixed. 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. Now, Gates himself has put out a statement about the investigation, apologizing for not being transparent about his editing decisions, but in it that apology, he never says that the pressure from Affleck was the direct reason why he edited-out the slavery material. His expertise and experience eventually led him to TV, where he started working as a contributor, narrator and host of a number of history shows, before he eventually worked on the PBS miniseries African American Lives. There is also the question of What is exhaustive? when it comes to family tree research. GROSS: Yeah. GATES: They don't do that anymore for this particular kind of - I had a broken hip. And you - the last scene is the funeral. Here to talk about the controversy is NPR TV critic, Eric Deggans. Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a Professor of African and African-American Studies at Harvard University and Director of the W. E. B. 2023 WNET. If you remember, it was called "African-American Lives." GROSS: So you know your medical background and if you're GATES: Yeah. 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. The headline read " DEATH OF 'AUNT JANE GATES ' ": Last night at 11 o'clock "Aunt Jane Gates," colored, a . He 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. reveals that he and John Lithgow are DNA cousins. Greg Moore, Arizona Republic. Gates Jr. continued, "Brian, you know, broke down in tears because his grandfather was his hero. A report is a little more nitty gritty than a book, sort of like how understanding the mechanics of an engine will help you understand what makes a car run. OK. James Crowley, both trace their ancestry back to the legendary Niall of the Nine Hostages. GATES: And I gave it to my mother once. Department of English Barker Center 12 Quincy Street Cambridge, MA 02138 Hours: M-F 9:00 am-5:00 pm Phone: 617-495-2533 Fax: 617-496-8737 Some books have a lot of pictures, while others have zero or very few images. Also, journalist Brian Palmer talks about how slavery and the Civil War are described at Confederate historic sites in the South. And one of the, you know, wonderful people on "The View" said did I think that Donald Trump is racist. All that was on still in 1965 in syndication. Or they stayed home, and they drew. Well talk with Gates about the process of finding . We started to roll. It's - remember, it's - my father dragged my brother and me upstairs in his parents' home and made us wait why he'd look through half a dozen of his father's scrapbooks, about which we knew nothing - complete mystery, a secret to us - looking for that obituary. If you dislike a persons writing style, or if you have difficulty understanding what theyre saying, its probably not a good idea to hire them to write a 100-page book for you. The blog walks you through how to evaluate a genealogists resume, potential red flags, and tips for where to find qualified professionals online. In my experience, cousins are usually more receptive to requests for pictures from known family members (as opposed to friendly but unfamiliar genealogists). I can do it. 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. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates has published numerous books and produced and . And my Y DNA, which is - comes in an unbroken chain, descends from this Irishman. In Georgia and Alabama the number is about 9 percent. And they got the brothers in uniforms with swords and stuff coming out of the church with this sad, black church music. 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. Gates attended Yale University and the University of Cambridge. Furthermore, he is credited for 14 documentaries, and some of the most noted ones are: let the church say, Amen, Africa's great civilization, and many more. Some books function more like reference books on your ancestors, while others are formatted like short biographies. GROSS: But you had family that passed for white. Birth of Henry Louis Gates, Sr. The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. And the obituary said, died this day in Cumberland, Md., January 6, 1888; Aunt Jane Gates, an estimable colored woman. Henry Louis Gates arrest controversy. And the last thing I did before I went to bed on July 2, 1960, was to look up the word estimable. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. If youd like to get an idea about what its like working with a particular genealogist, read their testimonials or reviews. It's the damnedest thing I ever heard. After a break, he'll talk about his childhood and about how DNA evidence demonstrates there's no such thing as racial purity. CLIP. So where does that come from? Henry Louis Gates. Biology matters. And they would be published in the newspaper. He was there in exile because he had been in prison and to be offering civil war for 27 months and was given a fellowship at the University of Cambridge. Coming up, journalist Brian Palmer talks about how slavery and the Civil War are described at Confederate historic sites in the South. And they stayed home, and they read. GATES: Oh, my father and I were the first father and son of any race and the first African-Americans fully sequenced. Henry serves as a Trustee of the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. By Henry Louis Gates Jr. Dr. Gates is the director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard. It was during Winfrey's investigation that Gates Jr. discovered the potential of the show's format. And your driver was helping you - well, he was shoving his shoulder against the door trying to open it. And I cluster more toward the Yoruba than any - because 50 percent GATES: Of my ancestry is from sub-Saharan Africa. So you GATES: Because of this white man. As the host of the hit show Finding Your Roots, now in its sixth season on PBS, he helps guests like Ava DuVernay, Sean . GATES: No. Now she was born in 1819; died in 1888. Even the quality of the book design, paper, binding, etc., will vary substantially between a $5k and a $50k book. GROSS: Let's look at your ancestry and see who's really in it. Copyright 2015 NPR. I'm Dave Davies This is FRESH AIR. When I became a teenager, my father and I bonded. I only did black people. The Academy looks forward to presenting the award in person, when circumstances allow for a safe and celebratory occasion to honor the imagination and impact of Henry Louis Gates Jr. Update: The Academy presented the award at an in-person event in April 2022 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Gates Jr. added, "Oprah just broke down and cried in the middle of the shoot. And that is the strongest argument for brotherhood, sisterhood and the unity of the human species. Things change. Ahead of the latest episode on PBS, which features Brian Cox and Viola Davis, Gates Jr. sat down with Newsweek to discuss the origins of the show, and why it's superior to other ancestry shows on TV. In the show, notable guests discover their family roots based on genealogical research and DNA results. Henry Louis Gates Jr. 0:30. GATES: Otherwise they wouldn't be in a database. She was quite a lady. The genealogist should walk you through the research process. So that was a steal. Well, that might be related to police excesses and abuses, but it's a far end of the . GATES: I did an episode with Oprah and Quincy Jones and Bishop T.D. Not sure which channel that is? I am descended from - on my father's side - from a white man who impregnated a black woman and, on my mother's side, from a white woman who was impregnated by a black man. 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