Rags to Riches

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.

Rags to Riches

Season 12 Episode 10 | 52m 9s | CC

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the family trees of actor Kate Burton and media mogul Barry Diller—two people who grew up in comfort, thanks to ancestors who did not. Moving from shtetls to coal mines to orphanages, Gates and his guests learn stories of extraordinary sacrifice and explore a profound question: what do we inherit from people whose lives were unimaginably more challenging than our own?

Finding Your Roots

Watch more episodes

52:10

Finding Your Roots

Song of the South

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the families of Danielle Deadwyler and Rhiannon Giddens.

52:09

Finding Your Roots

American Dreams

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. uncovers America Ferrera & Darren Criss’ immigrant ancestors.

52:09

Finding Your Roots

Great Migrations

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

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.

Subscribe to Our Newsletters

Get trusted Colorado stories, programs, and events from Rocky Mountain PBS straight to your inbox.

Set Your Preferences >