Finding Your Roots

We Come from People

Trace three guests’ roots into the heart of slavery, revealing that there is no singular narrative and challenging preconceptions of an era that shaped our nation’s sense of itself. Nas discovers a web of his slave ancestors' intimate relationship with their slave master; Angela Bassett meets ancestors whose slave family tragedy is rivaled only by a triumphant emancipation story

Valerie Jarrett's Groundbreaking Great-Grandfather

2m 55s

Valerie Jarrett digs into the family history of her legendary Great-Grandfather, MIT's first African-American graduate and an accomplished architect, recruited to help build the prestigious Tuskegee Institute. How did a man born into slavery have the resources to send his son to a private college?

Previews + Extras

  • Angela Bassett's Emancipated Ancestors: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Angela Bassett's Emancipated Ancestors

    S2 E6 - 3m 3s

    Angela Bassett follows her ancestors, the Stokes family of Georgia, on their harrowing journey from slavery through the Civil War and into the era of emancipation.

  • We Come From People Promo: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    We Come From People Promo

    S2 E6 - 33s

    Angela Bassett, Valerie Jarrett and Nas' roots run back into the heart of slavery, revealing there is no single narrative and challenging our preconceptions of an era that has profoundly shaped our nations sense of itself. Hiphop artist Nas discovers a web of his slave ancestors and their intimate relationship with their slave master.

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