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FROM TPT REWIRE: The Amazingness That Is "Finding Your Roots"

February 8, 2016

photo by PBS Comedian Bill Hader on an episode of Finding Your Roots.

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From Rewire — public media with a twist.

“You have these ideas of who you are…and when you find out things like this…”

I don’t know about you, but I know very little about my family ancestry. Both of my parents were born in Puerto Rico and moved to the Midwest when they were young adults. I know that my dad’s family traces back to Spain and I’m ashamed to say, that’s about all I know. I’d love to learn more about where my ancestors came from and after watching Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., I’m inspired to do just that.

This is the third season of Finding Your Roots and if you have never watched an episode of this program before, do yourself a favor and do it! This season features a number of top-notch stars—Shonda Rhimes, Maya Rudolph, Bill Hader, Jimmy Kimmel—to name a few. Hearing the stories of their ancestry and knowing where these individuals are today is truly inspiring.

Episode three features Maya Rudolph, Shonda Rhimes, and Keenan Ivory Wayans – all three are descendants of slaves. Like most families, we hear stories of sadness and misfortune, but also uplifting and powerful stories that are relatable and inspirational. Not to mention, Finding Your Roots experts were able to go back 200 years in Rudolph’s history (we witness her overcome with emotion in learning of her enslaved descendants), which is amazing given that her mother’s side of the family are descendants of slaves.

Another cool thing—Finding Your Roots uses advanced genetic technology that allows one’s DNA to be traced back thousands of years and the results for these three individuals were fascinating. When Wayans found out his deep genetic history (we’re talking 3,000 years deep) he said; “You have these ideas of who you are…and when you find out things like this…” Well, I’ll let you watch to hear the rest.

The rest of the season sounds promising. Jump on board and stream the earlier episodes now.

Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. airs Tuesdays at 7 PM on TPT 2 or your local PBS station.

© Twin Cities Public Television - 2016. All rights reserved.

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