Season 8

Activist Roots

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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.

More Season 8 Extras

André leon talley stunned by ancestors bequeathment 0270f5726fc870ecafcd357c0dd7655b
André Leon Talley Stunned by Ancestor’s Bequeathment
Erin burnett reads her great grandmothers baptism record c88b5e874ce5a93079c13c508dd61802
Erin Burnett Reads Her Great-Grandmother’s Baptism Record
Amy carlson loves her great great grandparents meet cute 572e520832d7442e9f47a542267e8e17
Amy Carlson Loves Her Great-Great Grandparents’ Meet-Cute
Erin burnett learns about her ancestors rare divorce a497f126a3e08e80bba0a653c9da3acf
Erin Burnett Learns About Her Ancestors’ Rare Divorce
André leon talley everyone in that church was a queen 2702ed6e7b39b709e1180e730da1bf00
André Leon Talley: “Everyone in That Church was a Queen”
André leon talley grandfather was stationed in france c07f8ab98340b11cbebd171a2256f084
André Leon Talley Grandfather Was Stationed in France
Amy carlson admires her sixth great grandmothers stoicism 8998c44404eb2f34ad3a5a7a2bf023bf
Amy Carlson Admires Her Sixth-Great Grandmother’s Stoicism
Regina king seeing it written hits differently f93be47c6f9a270a2f1508ea8efac94a
Regina King: “Seeing it Written Hits Differently”
Were two generations removed from potential obliteration 82949ee04e39cc765ce31c80eae0d3c5
We’re Two Generations Removed From Potential Obliteration
Damon lindelof learns of the horrific fate of relatives 58d66f8dea1c042f827c7f59880f1276
Damon Lindelof Learns of the Horrific Fate of Relatives
Regina king this is pretty fantastic 8f77a222cc159eefe8e1cc9dc94e4b99
Regina King: “This is Pretty Fantastic”
Nathan lanes grandfather died in a workhouse 3d0ef48ba2051f923807cd1370be01b2
Nathan Lane’s Grandfather Died in a Workhouse
Joe lane becomes nathan lane 09918c627371781edf90f94ac287c8e8
Joe Lane Becomes Nathan Lane
Leslie odom jr on how hamilton changed his life c3723eb14dc1c22d4d4a63c39dabc301
Leslie Odom, Jr. on How “Hamilton” Changed His Life
Leslie odom jr s 5th great grandfather was a slaveowner 3bb448078c06901a10dd6b1c68275cdd
Leslie Odom, Jr.'s 5th Great-Grandfather Was a Slaveowner
Leslie odom jr his ancestors were people not possessions 2b8346876a58e7d97cb15ad26cc2501d
Leslie Odom, Jr. Honors His Ancestors as People, Not Possessions
Leslie odom jr s great grandfather comes to america 7d6d78dab31e292db8646877932577e1
Ship’s Manifest May Hold Clues to Leslie Odom, Jr.’s Great Grandfather’s Arrival in America
Lena waithe learns the source of the name waithe fa403480ed205bfbdfc3a09548799c89
Lena Waithe Learns the Source of the Name “Waithe”
Lena waithe learns grim statistics on slave life expectancy bb91d58403b43be5a430b200abd8d964
Lena Waithe Learns Grim Statistics on Slave Life Expectancy
Lena waithe discovers her first free post slavery ancestor f72579a1d7815c2e678e384cde3cbfb8
Lena Waithe Discovers Her First Free Post-Slavery Ancestor
John leguizamos lineage is traced back 17 generations d0ca4c3054f1ad6e99c7a138df2c17f0
John Leguizamo’s Lineage is Traced Back 17 Generations
John leguizamo learns about his 9th great grandfather b67118921ea7caea2a71454ceb4de756
John Leguizamo Learn About His 9th Great-Grandfather
Pamela adlons dna cousin is meryl streep 5352f7dea5ee747c30334b96c64186e5
Pamela Adlon's DNA Cousin is Meryl Streep
Pamela adlons great great grandfather was a rabbi c1618c1a67a5ca6e8d2fa019e769e74e
Pamela Adlon's Great-Great-Grandfather Was a Rabbi
Pamela adlon has an aunt she didnt know existed 234b59db5fec6a74da41c8ae73cc74af
Pamela Adlon Has an Aunt She Didn’t Know Existed
Pamela adlon knows the importance of knowing your roots f4d23a780ee884a1e55c08f84941edf2
Pamela Adlon Knows The Importance of Knowing Your Roots
Pamela adlon learns about her relatives capture by nazis 5710175b2dc8d0b1b04eefb54cc15daf
Pamela Adlon Learns About Her Relative’s Capture by Nazis
Kathryn hahn reads her third great grandfathers obit b6a7310c8a26879634b2440051fdd26f
Kathryn Hahn Reads Her Third Great-Grandfather's Obit
Kathryn hahn 3rd great grandfathers new family bb11267798183b601cfc5afba34f10b9
Kathryn Hahn 3rd Great-Grandfather’s “New Family”
Kathryn hahn is dna cousins with regina king 40d7d7ff2293a56bf336ea78f0e20f3a
Kathryn Hahn is DNA Cousins with Regina King
Kathryn hahn gets to the bottom of a family scandal 37d930392c67a691d6eeb4c79175db0b
Kathryn Hahn Gets to the Bottom of a Family Scandal
Tony danzas greatest audition bc246e9c02ac3c75f5b221748b7b3e0b
Tony Danza’s Greatest Audition
Tony danza s grandfather endured harsh working conditions 26a29ba09b9b89f7123dd44c554ccc12
Tony Danza 's Grandfather Endured Harsh Working Conditions
Back together again c7b144137b5234d75b4c5bb21b3c283c
A Family, Torn Apart by Slavery, Pulls Itself Back Together Again
Terry crews discovers his grandfather abandoned his family b9c424fcf0fb8be5a0e6ca4a85bb6037
Terry Crews Discovers That His Grandfather Abandoned His Family
Mario lopez ancestors came to america and left 519e1af71c6b737beb70f5e6c59c6d74
Mario Lopez' Ancestors Came to America… and Left
Mario lopez grandfathers immigration story 6dcf831cddc9d06c619c7c77222c4864
Mario Lopez’ Grandfather’s Immigration Story
Melissa villaseñor discovers her relatives tragic ending a9a96b51058a33499ff013aa563144c2
Melissa Villaseñor Discovers Her Relative’s Tragic Ending
Melissa villaseñor learns her great grandmothers lost story 3e9e778c4000799bc813614132d40652
Melissa Villaseñor Learns Her Great-Grandmother's Lost Story
Raul esparza on his fathers disillusionment with castro 1f61302e27214af9e9820c221d22ba04
Raul Esparza on His Father's Disillusionment with Castro
David chang imagines his great grandfathers life in america ffc14ee13a8750fbca84b32bf073805b
David Chang Imagines His Great-Grandfather’s Life in America
David chang shares a story relatable to many immigrant kids 341465b216fbedee0879867cdace6a8b
David Chang Shares A Story Relatable to Many Immigrant Kids
David chang discusses things his family never talks about 504d9fca6632947bb8cd24413073fbb3
David Chang Discusses Things His Family Never Talks About
Raúl esparza reads his grandfathers congressional testimony ccfe54eb469e7b37df2afb3b8790bacc
Raúl Esparza Reads His Grandfather’s Congressional Testimony
Destination cambridge occupation teaching 661043e2bc6b007f3a4e230a939e8b42
Destination: Cambridge. Occupation: Teaching
Brittany packnett cunningham yearns to know her grandfather 943783d9e98c8e9b81fc6ab28c200186
Brittany Packnett Cunningham Yearns to Know Her Grandfather
Anita hill wins the genealogical jackpot 7138da227af3d916c002e6a0e7dbc951
Anita Hill Wins “The Genealogical Jackpot”
Anita hill unpacks her optimism and humble beginnings d9758416524208a10df15d5ab3133dc4
Anita Hill Unpacks Her Optimism and Humble Beginnings
Anita hill learns her great great grandparents identities ed25bbf2d9cd2bc1a0ddcc638d5bc880
Anita Hill Learns Her Great-Great Grandparents’ Identities
Brittany packnett cunninghams meets her great grandparents d5a1cb3b3fdf64165b927d21bd1eb67a
Brittany Packnett Cunningham Meets Her Great-Grandparents
V1 0017 HALL REBECCA 210501 ABC GROUP 01 Sub 01 No Groups Copy 01 29 97i 00
Rebecca Hall’s Great-Grandfather’s Success Story
Certain things we just didnt talk about 11124487e575616a67de91cd79e3e446
Lee Daniels Discovers Surprising Familial Ties
Aint that somethin 95eee252842125e8764b5c24f4ee6cce
Lee Daniels Is DNA Cousins with Mia Farrow
V1 0018 HALL REBECCA 210501 ABC GROUP 01 Sub 03 No Groups Copy 01 29 97i 00
Rebecca Hall Discovers Her Ancestors’ Ethnicities
V1 0019 HALL REBECCA 210501 ABC GROUP 01 Sub 04 No Groups Copy 01 29 97i 00
“Passing” Helps Rebecca Hall Uncover a Family Mystery
An explanation for a familys joie de vivre e9b8431647a7c3cff58c4bb0a24af33a
Clues About Lee Daniels’ Fun-Loving Side of the Family
Free but sorta 545ae32fdd73741e147763527a5c419c
Lee Daniels Delves into a Special Family Connection

Guests From this Extra

More Episodes from Season 8

Hidden in the genes ae555ca237ea056ea96d4f23c9975ecd
Hidden in the Genes
Episode 1
Activist roots 6ef2e885230b46c4ff73bbd5a0b200df
Activist Roots
Episode 2
Children of exile 0b988a8c8bd10643756c53476207f253
Children of Exile
Episode 3
Things we dont discuss 061ea8859db1f83191b794d617e27721
Things We Don't Discuss
Episode 4
Mexican roots 85e6174b5c6da496b52c27db6e7a4f1e
Mexican Roots
Episode 5
Fighters 71461f371f77b4d76a4c2dc777659d45
Fighters
Episode 6
Forgotten journeys d8705326675d63baeaf799bff69c529a
Forgotten Journeys
Episode 7
Songs of the past ad8876ce0cbcd4c93afb6433613c38ee
Songs of the Past
Episode 8
Watchmen 122a4ab0c6bf3e6bcb8e04f5322356be
Watchmen
Episode 9
Where did we come from 2f9db5904f56103c407b48d922b90a27
Where Did We Come From?
Episode 10
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Episode Guide

Finding Your Roots Season Nine

Today’s most compelling personalities discover the surprising stories in their own family trees. Mixing cutting-edge DNA research and old-school genealogical sleuthing, FINDING YOUR ROOTS uncovers long-buried secrets, hidden identities, and lost ancestors. Tuesdays at 8/7c.

Learn More
Education a hurried escape fe7eaf9189a6107e7f6d89df84756bd9

WETA | Finding Your Roots
with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

New Episodes: Tuesdays at 8/7c

Join the conversation on #FindingYourRoots