by Connor Parks
This was it, the one we’d waited for since early last semester before being postponed had finally arrived! The ability to host Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. as this year’s instalment of the Press Distinguished Lecture Series was an incredible honour for the Centre community, and judging by the crowd size, perhaps the entire region. The foremost popular genealogist and award-winning author/academic came to discuss his long-term fascination with the art of personal genealogy, as well as the history of his successful TV series on the same topic, Finding Your Roots. In an inviting and passionate presentation, Gates began by relaying his personal connections to central Kentucky, before sharing a public endorsement of Kamala Harris. This surprised me (positively) as very blatant and open, but it only seemed to energise the crowd as he segued into his personal background with genealogy. He became deeply vested in family trees from a very young age, following the discovery that his white grandfather’s grandmother had been an enslaved Black woman. During his time as an undergrad and graduate student, he was awarded various opportunities to study abroad in Africa and beyond, which further nurtured his interest in the human experience. After receiving his doctorate from Cambridge, he then published a number of groundbreaking books on the Black experience and African American history, before gradually ascertaining the position of Director of Harvard’s African & African American Studies department.
Gates’s speech was both impactful and accessible, using down-to-earth dialogue and humour to appeal to an audience of fans and newcomers alike. He spoke of his various connections to Black individuals who were either in pursuit of their family history, or who had somehow managed to find it deep in archives and annals. As a professor and avid genealogist, this spurred the idea for two multi-part PBS series which laid the foundation for Finding Your Roots. Among these early guests were Oprah, T.D. Jakes, and Whoopi Goldberg, whereas later guests included Yo-Yo Ma, Eva Longoria, and Stephen Colbert.
Gates ended the talk itself by discussing the recent 10th season of Finding Your Roots, then showing a number of clips from the show. A brief Q&A session followed the show, moderated by Vice President of D.E.I. Anthony Jones, in which Gates candidly answered student-submitted questions regarding his life, work, and legacy. Though professional, his tone never lost its casual air, and he captivated the audience until being ushered out to a rousing applause.
The reception to follow was nothing short of chaotic, but given Gates’ high-profile nature, I wouldn’t have expected otherwise. Students, faculty, local leaders, and community members young and old from across the region swarmed the reception hall at the top of the Norton Center to a backdrop of smooth jazz and savory hors d’oeuvres. Gates sat in the middle of a charmed crowd, with hundreds crowding around his chair in attempts to have books signed or be treated to a brief but unforgettable interaction. At one point, after waiting nearly 45 minutes, I was able to clamber to the front of the mob and briefly speak with Dr. Gates, telling him what an impact he’d had on my childhood. This was a tremendous experience for me personally. As a kid, piling onto the couch and watching Finding Your Roots with my mother was a weekly tradition for many years, and I was thrilled to finally be able to meet an individual who expanded my consciousness of humanity’s beautiful interconnectedness.
Hearty laughter, tears of joy, and a generally wonderful atmosphere filled the Norton Center that Tuesday evening. I’m so grateful to have been a part of such a monumental event in Centre’s history and glad that this event finally came to fruition. Despite Centre having waited for nearly a year, and having waited myself since I first found comfort and wonder in Finding Your Roots so many years ago, it suffices to say that the end result was more than worth it!