American Dreams

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.

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American Dreams

Season 12 Episode 1 | 52m 9s | CC

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. helps actors America Ferrera and Darren Criss uncover their immigrant roots—telling stories of revolutionaries in Honduras, a Dutchman who helped build New York City, and a young woman from the Philippines who brought her family to California against great odds. Along the way, family histories are brought to light—and America and Darren come to see themselves in a new way.

Finding Your Roots

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Artistic Roots

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of director Spike Lee and actor Kristin Chenoweth.

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Great Migrations

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of rapper Wiz Khalifa and actor Sanaa Lathan.

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Caribbean Roots

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the Caribbean heritage of Liza Colón-Zayas and Delroy Lindo.

Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Candace King Weir; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.

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