Henry Louis Gates Jr., director of Harvard's W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African-American Research, delved into the genealogy and genetics of African-American history in his lecture at Mills Hall Thursday night.
Along with being an esteemed professor, Gates is a literary critic, cultural historian and television producer.
Gates demonstrated his distinguished intellect, affable humor, and powerful speaking while creating a deep connection with the audience.
On the PBS mini-series African American Lives to Faces of America, Gates has interviewed numerous renowned icons, including Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman and Tina Turner, and gave them insights to their own family histories.
Gates' shocking look at the past brought many interviewees to tears and loss of words.
His research shows a very personal look at African-American history that make our country's past come to life.
According to Gates, not one African-American today is 100 percent African descent, and he found that most African-Americans are at least 30 percent white.
""I could get eight people, eight prominent African-Americans and I would do their family tree, back to slavery, back to the point where the paper trail disappears, and then when it disappeared I would do their DNA and reveal what tribe or ethnic group they were from in Africa and Europe,"" Gates said.
With a large grin, Gates told the audience he dawned on this idea while going to the bathroom.
Gates said by learning history, young people can also learn about sciences like genetics.
""What is your favorite subject, ladies and gentlemen? That's right, your favorite subject is yourself,"" Gates said.
