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
Previews + Extras
Valerie Jarrett's Groundbreaking Great-Grandfather
S2 E6 - 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?
Nas' Enslaved Roots: "A Receipt for a Human Being"
S2 E6 - 2m 52s
Nas encounters his 3rd Great-Grandmother's Bill of Sale, a devastatingly telling document, and imagines his enslaved ancestors' daily lives.
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
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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