W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research
Harvard University
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Vera Grant (617-384-8344)
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s "African American Lives 2" Wins Parents' Choice Award
Cambridge, MA (March 31, 2009) — Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s PBS documentary,
"African American Lives 2," has won the Parents' Choice Gold Award for Television,
awarded by the Parents' Choice Foundation.
"We are delighted that 'African American Lives 2' has been recognized as great television
for children of all ages, by the Parents' Choice Awards," Gates, the Alphonse Fletcher
University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and
African American Research at Harvard University, said. "One of my chief goals in
making the 'African American Lives' series is to introduce young people, and children of
color in particular, to the idea that science and history are relevant to them. This award is
a sign that we can realize this goal."
"African American Lives 2" aired on PBS in 2008, two years after the original "African
American Lives" was broadcast. Utilizing the latest advances in DNA and genetic science
and old-fashioned genealogical detective work, "African American Lives 2" traced the
maternal and paternal ancestors of 11 prominent African Americans to their origins in
Africa or Europe, where 20 percent of all African Americans have an ancestor, and also
explored their lives after they were taken to this country as slaves. Guests included Maya
Angelou, Bliss Broyard, Don Cheadle, Morgan Freeman, Peter Gomes, Tom Joyner,
Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Linda Johnson Rice, Chris Rock, Tina Turner, and Kathleen
Henderson, whose "ordinary family" was selected from thousands of applicants to be
profiled.
Gates said, "With its destruction of kinship ties, family structures, indigenous languages,
and cultural memory, slavery took away our ability as African Americans to know where
we came from—knowledge that many Americans take for granted. Innovations in DNA
research allow us now to reclaim this right and to get an accurate idea of where in Africa
our families lived before we became African Americans."
Gates and a team of researchers and consultants from the fields of DNA science,
genealogy, and education are currently developing a curriculum for middle and high
school students based on the "African American Lives" series. "The public's interest in
the films has been remarkably high, and we've been fortunate to receive literally
thousands of inquiries from educators and parents about how they can introduce their
children to the kind of work we are doing in 'African American Lives,'" Gates said. "We
are excited by the potential for this curriculum to open young people's eyes to the rich
history of this country, of their fellow students, and of their own families."
The popularity of both installments of the "African American Lives" series owes a great
deal to the affability of Gates himself, who has become a highly visible advocate in
national media of DNA and genealogy research as a means for African Americans to
understand and reclaim their history. Dyllan McGee, an executive producer of the series,
said, "As a host, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is wonderfully human. He is able to bring history
to life for young people and for all of us."
"African American Lives 2" was a co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York,
Kunhardt McGee Productions, and Inkwell Films. Gates wrote and narrated the film, and
he, William R. Grant, Peter Kunhardt, and McGee were its executive producers. Major
corporate funding for "African American Lives 2" and its outreach initiatives was
provided by The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson. Additional corporate
funding was provided by Buick.
The Parents' Choice Awards are awarded by the Parents' Choice Foundation, founded in
1978, and the nation's oldest nonprofit guide to quality children's media and toys. The
Parents' Choice Awards program honors the best material for children: books, toys, music
and storytelling, magazines, software, videogames, television and websites. Parents'
Choice Foundation's panels of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents
and, young people themselves, identify the very best products for children of different
ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels.