Gates Documentary Series Receives $12M in Funding

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) recently announced funding in the amount of $12 million for three, new public television documentary series in which Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. will explore the meaning of race, culture, and identity in America. Gates' recent PBS series include “African American Lives” and “African American Lives 2,” “Oprah’s Roots: An African American Lives Special,” “America Beyond the Color Line,” and “Wonders of the African World.”

Hosted and co-produced by Gates, the forthcoming projects (which are expected to premiere in 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively) will include “The Faces of America,” “Searching for Our Roots: The History of the African American People,” and “African American Lives 3: Reclaiming Our Past.” Each will be produced by WNET in New York, Kunhardt Productions, and Inkwell Films.

You can read more at http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2008/08.21/00-gates.html.

Comments

[L. H. Head, Jr.]

I am a white person, the descendant of slave owners. However, I have enjoyed, and recommend programs such as "African American Lives." And I appreciate all the sponsors of such programs.

In my mind, "genealogy" is restricted to descent, and nothing is drier than a string of mere "begats." By contrast, I define "family history" as biographical data--which adds context, and creates interest. And, as a concession to Truth, I do not shrink from unpleasantries. (Someone famously said, "If you're afraid of skeletons, don't go looking in closets.")

All of which is to say: slavery is an indelible part of history, whether on a national scale, or a family scale--at least in the former slave States. The degree of environmental determinism has been long debated, but never denied. Therefore slavery makes us who we are, black or white.

Do not neglect to understand this aspect of your history, regardless of your complexion/race.

If nothing else, such neglect flies in the face of "cluster genealogy." Many espouse delving into associations, but seem oblivious to the fact that masters and slaves were also associates.

Also, African American genealogy is THE key to understanding and using Reconstruction records. Even if your people never held slaves, they may appear in such records as indigents or refugees who received relief from the Freedmen's Bureau. I have seen at least one such list, wherein almost all the recipients were white. And unless I am mistaken, a majority of depositors in the Freedmen's Savings & Trust were white.

On top of all this, African American genealogy affords examples of applied research (DNA, as well as case studies wherein "brick walls" were breached.)

Long story short: cast a wide net; don't neglect African American genealogy, regardless of your race.

[Sharon Morgan]

Black people have always realized the genetic associations. For too many families, they are poignantly witnessed by the colors of our skins. What I would really like to see on the genealogy front is for those white families who have records extant in their attics and storage rooms to open the door and share them with us. It is often impossible to find our forbears without your property and probate records. For those who are truly interested in reconciliation, I urge you to visit www.comingtothetable.org. And, if you just might want to hear some of our stories, visit www.ourblackancestry.com which has stories about my own 30 year quest of genetic reverance.

[Virginia]

Comment from L. Head,Jr.," Many espouse delving into associations, but seem oblivious to the fact that masters and slaves were also associates." should be the quote for the day. If you read any files from that period, or stories, one will see the closeness of these people. To exist in our world today, we must understand all of the past.

[Patricia O'Neal]

I use Family Tree Legends Deluxe and have been naming one of the Notes "Slave Information" for any family or individual that had slaves. On these notes I give as much information as I can find and then I check the display box. These display as "Notes on -." It's not much, but it's all I have to offer at this time. I had no idea there were slave owners in my family - I always thought my southern ancestors were too poor or "middle class" to own slaves. I can't begin to describe the feelings of shame when I began to find this information and read of the off-hand way in which these people were treated. Wills, especially, make it clear that slaves were property. Yes, we need to understand all of the past - so that we don't make the same mistakes in the future.

[Sharryn Clark]

I have ancestors who were slave owners, never large numbers, 2 or 3 but, all the same they held these people in bondage as they would cattle. I have wills where they were passed on to the next generation, I do not know if there were offspring of these people from my ancestors, probably as that situation was common, whether we dislike or dismiss the arrangement. I have found no evidence but who knows. We need to recognize,share and appreciate our past for whatever it is, and move forward.

[Tootncmon]

Don't forget the recent documentary "Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North" (it ran on P.O.V. on PBS) and the companion book, "Inheriting the Trade," ( http://www.inheritingthetrade.com/about.html ) both addressing the often overlooked fact of slavery in the North. So those with no Southern ancestry may also discover 'slaves in the family.'

toot