Finding Your Roots

Activist Roots

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.

Activist Roots

52m 11s

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.

Previews + Extras

  • Activist Roots Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Activist Roots Preview

    S8 E2 - 32s

    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.

  • Brittany Packnett Cunningham Meets Her Great-Grandparents: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Brittany Packnett Cunningham Meets Her Great-Grandparents

    S8 E2 - 55s

    After years of many unknowns in Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s family history, she is finally able to fill in the blanks by learning the names of her great-great grandparents for the first time. “It’s like finding yourself.

  • Anita Hill Wins “The Genealogical Jackpot”: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Anita Hill Wins “The Genealogical Jackpot”

    S8 E2 - 1m 13s

    “This is like winning the lottery!” Anita Hill is stunned to learn that her great-great-grandfather lived in one of only THREE counties in the U.S. to record the names of enslaved people in the 1850 census.

  • Anita Hill Unpacks Her Optimism and Humble Beginnings: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Anita Hill Unpacks Her Optimism and Humble Beginnings

    S8 E2 - 1m 17s

    Despite growing up as the youngest of 13 siblings in a home without indoor plumbing or running water, Anita Hill says she was always optimistic about her future because of her mother’s spirit.

  • Anita Hill Learns Her Great-Great Grandparents’ Identities: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Anita Hill Learns Her Great-Great Grandparents’ Identities

    S8 E2 - 1m 22s

    “I can’t explain it. It really just goes to something deep inside me that feels like I’m connected.” Anita Hill meets her great-great grandparents who were listed in the 1870 census living in Bowie County, Texas for the first time.

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