Mean Streets

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of comedian Tracy Morgan & actor Anthony Ramos—two native New Yorkers whose roots stretch to surprising places and contain inspiring stories. Moving from the Canary Islands to battlefields in Europe & Asia to slave plantations in Virginia, long-lost records reveal ancestors who laid the groundwork for Tracy and Anthony’s success by fighting to survive.

Anthony Ramos learns about his father's mother, and her roots back to his ninth great grandparents.

"It's like getting knocked out."

Tracy Morgan reflects on the mystery surrounding his great-great-grandfather's identity and his relationship with his great-great grandmother, Viola.

Surprisingly, Tracy Morgan's third great-grandfather, Wiley Warton, was listed by name in the 1860 census, indicating he was free before the Civil War -- a rare occurrence for black individuals at that time.

Anthony Ramos' 15th great-grandfather, Andrés de Llerina, an indigenous person from Tenerife, Spain, faced hardships due to the Spanish conquest, being driven from his land and enslaved by a conquistador named Fernandez de Lugo.