Henry Louis Gates Jr. on navigating family secrets and privacy in Finding Your Roots season 12
By
Brande Victorian
Summary
Henry Louis Gates Jr. discusses season 12 of PBS's Finding Your Roots, revealing discoveries about celebrities like America Ferrera (who learns she is a descendant of a free mulatto of mixed African origin and a distant cousin of Ava DuVernay) and Sanaa Lathan (who discovers she is descended from a wealthy white slave owner). The article explores how the show navigates shocking ancestry revelations, guest privacy, and the ethical dilemmas of uncovering family secrets that can alter personal and family narratives. Gates explains the careful process of handling sensitive information, including instances where discoveries are too big or painful to air on television.
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Key quotes
· 3 pulledOnly in America. Or since America's [family is] from Honduras, I should say, 'Only in the Americas.'
The show navigates shocking ancestry revelations, guest privacy and the truths that can forever alter a family story.
We have to be careful about how we handle sensitive information, especially when discoveries are too big or painful to air.
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