The act of writing for the slave constituted the act of creating a public, historical self, not only the self of the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
You can say I had a severe case of 'Roots' envy. I wanted to be like Alex Haley, and I wanted to… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Keeping the Union together, freeing slaves and being assassinated all added up to creating 'Lincoln the myth.' He overcame a lot of… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The Western stereotype of Africa and its black citizens as devoid of reason and, therefore, subhuman was often shared by white master… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Ending the slave trade was contrary to British economic interests. For all its limitations and hypocrisies - British slavery itself, of course,… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The sad truth is that without complex business partnerships between African elites and European traders and commercial agents, the slave trade to… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
You notice patterns. White guests often are mortified - that word again - when they learn their ancestors owned slaves. But I've… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Patriotism is best exemplified through auto-critique. When you're willing to stand up within the group and say, 'It is wrong for Black… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The first slave came to Florida in 1526. The first one we know by name, Esteban, which means Stephen, came a couple… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
You can find virtually everybody black back as far as the 1870 census. Why 1870? That's when the ex-slaves first have surnames.… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Like the amazing story of Anthony Johnson. This man was a slave, then became free, accumulated 250 acres, and even had his… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
The biggest surprise for me, without a doubt, was that the first black people who came to the United States weren't the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
No one thinks of Mexico and Peru as black. But Mexico and Peru together got 700,000 Africans in the slave trade. The… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
You had one guy who was a slave, and another who wasn't. And I actually know what happened to them. [Juan ]… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
In Ethiopia, the black people became Christians 1700 years ago, hundreds of years before Northern Europe turned to Christianity... And here, most of the… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Politicians will not put forth programs aimed at the problems of poor blacks while their turnout remains so low. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
I'm a tech geek. Whenever I read about something new, I think to myself, How can I take this and make it black? — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
I think that the implication of King's assassination has not been fully appreciated. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
I want to be remembered as someone who tried to bring the story of our ancestors to the broadest possible audience. I want to… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
In 1957, when I was in second grade, black children integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. We watched it on TV. All… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Since the day Martin Luther King was killed, the black middle classes have almost quadrupled, but the percentage of black children living on or… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Because Lincoln is so closely identified with what it is to be American, everyone wants to claim him, to rewrite his story to satisfy… — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
My grandfather was coloured, my father was Negro, and I am Black. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
Wherever you go in the history of America, there have been Black people making contributions, but their contributions have been obscured, lost, buried. — Henry Louis Gates Copy Share Image
