Celebrate African American History

In celebration of Black History Month PBS has been airing an absolutely fascinating program called "African American Lives 2." On this program Harvard professor of African and African American Studies Henry Louis Gates Jr. presents evidence of the "stories and lives" of the enslaved and freed ancestors of ten notable African-Americans and one "ordinary American" selected from a pool of 200,000 applicants.

Don Cheadle and Chris Rock's family stories were my favorites, but every single one is touching. You can see previews from each profile, examine samples of the documents used in the discovery, and see how researchers are using DNA to pick up where written records leave off on the PBS website--but do try to catch the whole program (see local listings) or find the DVD when available!

One thing I learned from this program is that there were 5 Native American tribes that held slaves.... and these slaves weren't freed until several years after the end of the Civil War.

Did you know that? What piece of African American History are you interested in learning more about? Find it at your library!