PBS: African-American Lives 2
I highly recommend the first installment of this series; it aired on Wednesday but will probably be re-run throughout the week by local affiliates. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the family history of 11 African-American celebrities and public figures, plus one non-famous woman who was selected by lottery. The stories that Gates & his researchers have turned up from the historical record are amazing and illustrative, and it's hard to say what's more moving: the stories themselves, or watching people learn these things about their own families for the first time.
Apparently, later episodes will also use DNA testing to try to establish where in Africa people's ancestors originally came from, which will be another whole level of interesting.
(On a personal level, I startle every time I see Peter Gomes on the show, because it looks like they just grabbed my brother-in-law and put a few basic aging make-up effects on him -- this despite the fact that the BIL comes from a very different ethnic background.)
Apparently, later episodes will also use DNA testing to try to establish where in Africa people's ancestors originally came from, which will be another whole level of interesting.
(On a personal level, I startle every time I see Peter Gomes on the show, because it looks like they just grabbed my brother-in-law and put a few basic aging make-up effects on him -- this despite the fact that the BIL comes from a very different ethnic background.)