Samuel L. Jackson, Condoleezza Rice, and Ruth Simmons

An introduction to the rich musical culture of New Orleans and the impact it had on Branford Marsalis and Harry Connick, Jr., growing up there as young musicians.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson discusses his experience growing up in segregated Chattanooga in the mid-20th century.

Brown University President Ruth Simmons grew up in a family of sharecroppers, a notorious system in which farmers pick cotton and live on someone else's land for a share of the profits. But they had to pay such high charges for rent, they often fell into a cycle of debt.

A look at life under Jim Crow in Piedmont, WV during Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s childhood and in Chattanooga, TN during Samuel L. Jackson’s childhood.

A look at life under Jim Crow in Grapeland, Texas during Ruth Simmons’ childhood.