HENRY LOUIS GATES JR: John Lewis
has crossed over the final
bridge.
The last of the Big Six civil
rights leaders is gone.
If courage had a name, it was
his.
He leaves us at a time when
the stakes of all for which he
struggled couldn't be higher.
For John Lewis, voting was
sacramental.
He shed his blood for us to
exercise this most fundamental
of rights.
Forevermore, generations,
starting with this one,
will honor him by casting their
ballots.
A secular communion meant to
strengthen our democracy.
His roar as the conscience of
the Congress
will echo down through history.
Few who ever lived have done
more to inspire change.
His truth goes marching on.
COMING UP ON
"FINDING YOUR ROOTS"...
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LEARN
WHERE YOU COME FROM?
THERE'S A CONNECTION.
THIS IS SO MEANINGFUL.
TO UNLOCK YOUR PAST...
THAT MUST BE HIM.
YOU KNOW WHY -- HE LOOKSA LOT LIKE MY GRANDFATHER.
TO DISCOVER WHO YOU ARE...
MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, IT, UH...
IT'S PART OF MY DNA.
TWO AMERICAN HEROES --
MAYOR CORY BOOKER
AND CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS --
FIND OUT.
I'M HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.
I'M HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.
WELCOME TO "FINDING YOUR ROOTS,"
A JOURNEY INTO
THE ANCESTRAL PAST
OF SOME OF AMERICA'S
MOST FASCINATING FIGURES.
IN THIS PROGRAM, WE'LL EXPLORE
THE FAMILY HISTORIES
OF TWO INSPIRING
POLITICAL LEADERS --
GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS
AND NEWARK MAYOR CORY BOOKER.
LIKE MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS,
JOHN AND CORY KNEW
LITTLE ABOUT
THEIR FAMILY HISTORY.
AND THEY HAD PLENTY
OF QUESTIONS.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT
YOU'D LIKE TO KNOW
ABOUT YOUR FAMILY TREE?
ANY MYSTERIES UNRESOLVED?
ONE IS MY DAD'S LINEAGE.
WE DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE
THE NAME "BOOKER" CAME FROM.
I HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT MY FAMILY HISTORY.
BUT I ALWAYS HEARD RUMORS
ABOUT MY MOTHER'S SIDE.
Gates: USING PUBLIC RECORDS,
PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORIES,
Gates: USING PUBLIC RECORDS,
PERSONAL FAMILY HISTORIES,
AND DNA ANALYSIS,
WE PIECED TOGETHER
LONGSTANDING MYSTERIES
ON BOTH JOHN AND CORY'S
FAMILY TREES.
IN THE END, THIS IS A TALE
OF TWO MEMOIRS,
A STORY OF FAMILY
LOST AND FOUND.
COULD HE BE YOUR
GRANDFATHER'S FATHER?
MY GREAT GRANDFATHER.
IT'S UNREAL, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.
AND WE'VE COMPILED
EVERYTHING WE'VE FOUND
INTO A BOOK OF LIFE,
A RECORD OF OUR DISCOVERIES.
NOW, CORY, THIS IS
YOUR BOOK OF LIFE.
AND YOU CAN'T OPEN IT.
THIS IS WHAT WE'VE PREPARED
FOR YOU,
CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS'S
BOOK OF LIFE.
MY WHOLE FAMILY IS
EXCITED.
AS POLITICIANS,
JOHN LEWIS AND CORY BOOKER
HAVE BEEN FOCUSED ON
THE FUTURE.
BUT THEY BOTH WELCOME
THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DELVE INTO THE PAST
AND PAY HOMAGE TO THE PEOPLE
WHOSE STRUGGLES
MADE THEIR LIVES POSSIBLE.
THEY HAD NO IDEA
WHAT KIND OF SURPRISES WERE
IN STORE FOR THEM.
Lewis: I MET ROSA PARKS IN 1957
WHEN I WAS 17.
WHEN YOU WERE 17 YEARS OLD.
MM-HMM.
YEAH.
Booker: IT'S AMAZING TO ME THAT
YOU KNOW MOST OF THESE FOLKS.
CORY BOOKER AND JOHN LEWISHAVE TAKEN VERY DIFFERENT PATHS
TO ARRIVE
WHERE THEY HAVE TODAY.
I WENT TO OXFORD WITH
HER SON.
REALLY?YES, WITH JONAH.
BUT AS AFRICAN-AMERICANS,
THERE'S QUITE A LOT OF HISTORY
THAT CONNECTS THEM.
THEY MET RECENTLY AT
THE KING CENTER IN ATLANTA,
WHERE JOHN IS HONORED
WITH A FOOTPRINT
ON THE CIVIL RIGHTS
WALK OF FAME.
Booker: AND HERE YOU ARE.
SO THESE ARE LITERALLY
YOUR SHOES.
Lewis: THEY'RE MY SHOES, RIGHT.
STEP ON THEM.
Booker: I DON'T KNOW IF I WANT
TO STEP IN THE SHOES,
BUT I'LL TELL YOU THIS --
I KNOW I'M STANDING ON
YOUR SHOULDERS.
JOHN LEWIS IS A LIVING LEGEND
AND ONE OF MY OWN HEROES.
HE HAS SPENT MUCH OF HIS LIFE
SPEAKING OUT
AGAINST INJUSTICE
AND INEQUALITY.
Lewis: WELL, HAVE HER
TO CALL THE OFFICE.
IN WASHINGTON.
WELL, THANK YOU, SIR.
BYE-BYE.
BYE.
THIS WAS TAKEN IN MISSISSIPPI
IN 1964
AT THE HALL WHERE...
HIS JOURNEY FROM SHARECROPPER'S
SON TO U.S. CONGRESSMAN
ALL STARTED WITH A LETTER HEWROTE TO MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
WHEN HE WAS JUST
18 YEARS OLD.
DR. KING WROTE ME BACK,
SENT ME A ROUND-TRIP
GREYHOUND BUS TICKET,
AND INVITED ME TO COME TO
MONTGOMERY TO MEET WITH HIM.
NO.
SO IN MARCH 1958 --
BY THIS TIME I'M 18 YEARS OLD.
ON A SATURDAY MORNING,
I BOARDED A BUS.
I TRAVELED THE 50 MILES
FROM TROY TO MONTGOMERY.
I'M SO EXCITED TO BE GOING
TO MONTGOMERY
TO MEET MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
THINK ABOUT THAT KIND OF
MENTORSHIP
AND HE'S IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE CAMPAIGN.
HE'S STARTINGTHE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT,
AND HE HAS TIME TO BRING
A COUNTRY BOY,
WHO HE DIDN'T KNOW
FROM ADAM.
YEAH.
WHO HE DIDN'T KNOW
FROM ADAM.
YEAH.
Lewis: AND I FOLLOWED HIM.
I HEARD HIM ON THE RADIO.
IT WAS SO INSPIRING.
WHEN I SAW DR. KING STANDING
BEHIND A DESK,
I WAS SO SCARED,
AND DR. KING SAID,
"ARE YOU THE BOY
FROM TROY?
ARE YOU JOHN LEWIS?"
AND I SAID, "DR. KING,
I AM JOHN ROBERT LEWIS."
AND THAT WAS THE BEGINNING.
TODAY, JOHN IS THE LAST
LIVING MEMBER OF THE BIG SIX,
THE YOUNGEST OF THE LEADERS
OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
THAT TRANSFORMED AMERICAN RACE
RELATIONS IN THE 1960s.
HE WAS A KEY PLAYER
IN THE EVENTS
THAT DEFINED A GENERATION.
FROM THE NASHVILLE SIT-INS
TO THE FREEDOM RIDES
TO THE GREAT MARCH ON
WASHINGTON.
Lewis: WE KNOW WHEN WE'RE
DENIED THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
AND ALL OF US HERE TONIGHT HAVE
SOMEWHAT OF AN OBLIGATION
TO DO WHATEVER WE CAN
TO MAKE THIS STATE A PLACE
FOP JUSTICE
FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE AND NOT
JUST FOR SOME OF THE PEOPLE.
Gates: PROTECTING VOTING RIGHTS
FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
HAS BEEN JOHN'S
LIFELONG MISSION.
DURING THE '60s AND '70s,
HE CANVASSED THE SOUTH
DOOR TO DOOR,
ENCOURAGING BLACK PEOPLE
TO REGISTER AND VOTE.
IN 1986, HE ENTERED
THE POLITICAL FRAY HIMSELF,
WHEN HE WAS ELECTED
TO REPRESENT GEORGIA
IN THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS.
THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON,
'63.
THEN YOU END UP FROMTHE LINCOLN MEMORIAL
TO CONGRESS --THAT IS SO COOL.
"ONLY IN AMERICA,"
DON KING SAYS.
YEAH, ONLY IN AMERICA.
NEWARK MAYOR CORY BOOKER
IS 42 YEARS OLD,
AND ALTHOUGH HE DIDN'T
EXPERIENCE THE TENSION
AND CONFLICT OF THE 1960s,
THE LEGACY OF THAT ERA
INSPIRED HIM
HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
I GREW UP AROUNDA KITCHEN TABLE
WITH STORIES OFTHE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
REALLY PRESENT,AND IT WAS A GENERATION
MY BROTHER AND I CAME TO
SEE AS LEGENDS.
I THINK THAT THAT STARTED
TO SHAPE MY IDEAS
ABOUT HOW YOU MAKE
A DIFFERENCE.
AND MY PARENTS
WOULD REINFORCE THAT
BECAUSE I GREW UP IN
A PRIVILEGED NEIGHBORHOOD.
AS IBM EXECUTIVES,
CORY'S PARENTS WERE ABLE
TO SETTLE DOWN IN
THE AFFLUENT SUBURB
OF HARRINGTON PARK, NEW JERSEY.
THE BOOKERS FIT EASILY INTO THE
SMALL, TIGHT-KNIT COMMUNITY.
BUT HARRINGTON PARK WAS NOT
EXACTLY KNOWN
FOR ITS ETHNIC DIVERSITY.
MY FATHER USED TO AFFECTIONATELY
CALL US
THE FOUR RAISINSIN A TUB OF VANILLA ICE CREAM.
EVERYBODY KNEW WHO WE WERE,THERE WAS NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
SO IN MANY WAYS, MY BROTHER
AND I
WERE THESE INTERESTING PIONEERS.
WE WERE THE FIRST TO INTEGRATE
OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM.
BUT THERE WERE NO NATIONAL GUARD
TROOPS TAKING US THERE.
THERE WAS THE NEIGHBORHOOD
CARPOOL TAKING US THERE.
AND IT'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT
AND IT'S AN EXPERIENCE THAT
WAS ALL THE RESULT OF
THESE INCREDIBLE STRUGGLES
THAT MY PARENTS MADE US
FULLY AWARE OF
BECAUSE THEY WERE
THEIR STRUGGLES.
AND MY PARENTS WOULD REINFORCE
TO ME
THAT YOU DRINK DEEPLY FROM WELLS
OF FREEDOM AND LIBERTY
THAT YOU DID NOT DIG, AND, BOY,
DON'T GROW DUMB, FAT AND HAPPY
ON ALL THIS THAT YOU HAVE.
YOU NEED TO METABOLIZE
YOUR BLESSINGS AND USE THEM
TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
IN THIS COUNTRY
THAT'S GIVEN YOU SO MUCH.
A STANFORD FOOTBALL STAR,
RHODES SCHOLAR,
AND YALE LAW SCHOOL GRADUATE,
CORY HAD HIS CHOICE
OF LUCRATIVE CAREER PATHS.
BUT HE LISTENED TO
HIS PARENTS
AND DIRECTED HIS TALENTS WHERE
THEY WERE NEEDED MOST,
TO THE TOUGH STREETS
OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.
THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF NEWARKFOR OUR CHILDREN IS INCREDIBLE.
THIS IDEA THAT WE'RE
"BRICK CITY," THAT WE'RE TOUGH,
JUST LIKE BRICKS, STRONG,
RESILIENT, HARD.
AND WHEN WE COME TOGETHER,
FRANKLY, THERE'S NOTHING WE
CAN'T BUILD IN THIS CITY.
HE SHOOK UP NEWARK POLITICS BY
RUNNING FOR MAYOR IN 2002.
AS A YOUNG UPSTART
FROM THE SUBURBS,
CORY TOOK HEAT
FROM HIS OPPONENT
FOR HIS ELITE BACKGROUND.
WE DON'T NEED NO CARPETBAGGERS
COMING IN HERE,
TELLING US HOW BAD WE ARE.
STAY OUT!
HE LOST THAT RACE,
BUT HE DIDN'T GIVE UP.
HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR BY
A LANDSLIDE IN 2006.
AS A RISING STAR
IN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY,
CORY HAS MADE
A NAME FOR HIMSELF
AS AN UNCONVENTIONAL
SORT OF POLITICIAN.
CORY ASTOUNDED CRITICS
AND SUPPORTERS ALIKE
WHEN HE TOOK UP RESIDENCE
IN NEWARK'S BRICK TOWERS
HOUSING PROJECTS.
HE LIVED THERE FOR EIGHT YEARS,
EVEN AFTER
HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR.
LONG BEFORE I MET YOU, CORY,
I READ IN
THE NEW YORK TIMES
THAT YOU WERE THE MAYOR
AND THAT YOU WERE LIVING IN
THE INNER --
I SAID,
IS THIS BOY CRAZY?
Booker: THIS MAY SOUND STRANGE,
BUT WHEN I CAME HOME THERE,
I FELT HOME,
AND I FELT LOVED.
I FELT LIKE I WAS PART
OF A COMMUNITY
THAT CARED ABOUT ME.
WHEN I CAME HOME
TO BRICK TOWERS,
I HAD A WHOLE BUNCH OF EYES
ON ME,
AND TO BE BLUNT WITH YOU,
IF I HAD SOMEBODY SPEND
THE NIGHT,
THE FIRST THING I WALKED OUT,
I HAD TO ANSWER TO THE WOMEN
ON THE WALL,
YOU KNOW.
I WOULD NOT TRADE
THE EIGHT YEARS I LIVED IN
THESE HIGH-RISES FOR ANYTHING.
BECAUSE IF YOU WANT TO FIND
AMERICAN HEROES,
FIND THEM IN THE COMMUNITIES
THAT ARE STILL FIGHTING FOR
THEIR AMERICAN DREAM.
AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE BEEN
FIGHTING
FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM
FOR CENTURIES.
FROM SLAVERY TO SHARECROPPING,
TO JIM CROW SEGREGATION,
THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
AND EQUALITY
HAS BEEN LONG AND ARDUOUS.
JOHN LEWIS KNOWS THIS STRUGGLE
ALL TOO WELL.
HE WAS BORN IN 1940
IN PIKE COUNTY, ALABAMA.
AND HE AND HIS NINE SIBLINGS
GREW UP ON LAND
AND HE AND HIS NINE SIBLINGS
GREW UP ON LAND
THAT THEIR FAMILY HAD FARMED
FOR GENERATIONS.
SOMEHOW, JOHN KNEW THAT HE
WAS DESTINED
FOR A LIFE BEYOND
PIKE COUNTY.
WERE YOU DIFFERENT?
I THINK I WAS
DIFFERENT.
WHEN I WAS VERY YOUNG,
I WANTED TO LEAVE ALABAMA,
'CAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS
SO BAD, SO TOUGH.
I HATED
GOING OUT IN THE FIELD,
WORKING IN THE HOT SUN.
AS A LITTLE CHILD,
I WANTED TO BE A MINISTER.
WHEN I WAS 10 YEARS OLD,
I WANTED TO PREACH.
BUT ON THE FARM, IT WAS
MY RESPONSIBILITY
TO CARE FOR THE CHICKENS.
WE WOULD GATHER
ALL OF OUR CHICKENS TOGETHER
IN THE CHICKEN YARD.
THEY HELPED MAKE UP
THE CONGREGATION, THE AUDIENCE.
AND I WOULD START SPEAKING,
PREACHING, AND SOME OF THESE
CHICKENS WOULD BOW THEIR HEAD,
SOME OF THESE CHICKENS
WOULD SHAKE THEIR HEAD.
THEY NEVER QUITE SAID "AMEN."
AND WHEN THE LITTLE CHICKS
WOULD GROW UP,
MY MOTHER AND FATHER
WANTED TO KILL THE CHICKEN
FOR LUNCH OR DINNER.
AND THAT BECAME MY FIRST
NONVIOLENT PROTEST.
I PROTESTED AGAINST THEM.
Gates: WHEN DID YOU FIRST
REALIZE THAT YOU WERE BLACK?
AND THAT BEING BLACK WAS NOT
A GREAT THING TO BE
AROUND WHITE PEOPLE?
IN 1956, WHEN I WAS
16 YEARS OLD,
WITH SOME OF MY BROTHERS
AND SISTERS AND FIRST COUSINS,
WE WENT DOWN
TO THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
IN THE LITTLE TOWN
CALLED TROY.
TRYING TO GET A LIBRARY CARD,
TRYING TO CHECK OUT SOME BOOKS.
AND WE WERE TOLD
BY THE LIBRARIAN
THAT THE LIBRARY WAS
FOR WHITES ONLY
AND NOT FOR COLOREDS.
AND I ASKED MY MOTHER,
ASKED MY FATHER,
AND MY GRANDPARENTS, WHY?
THEY WOULD SAY,
"THAT'S THE WAY IT IS.
DON'T GET IN THE WAY,
DON'T GET IN TROUBLE."
BUT JOHN DIDN'T HEED
THIS WARNING.
HE FELT COMPELLED TO CONFRONT
RACIAL INJUSTICE.
JUST ONE YEAR LATER, HE WOULD
LEAVE HOME FOR NASHVILLE,
JOINING OTHER YOUNG ACTIVISTS
IN THE FIGHT FOR EQUAL RIGHTS.
HE WOULD GET YANKED
FROM LUNCH COUNTERS,
DRAGGED TO JAIL,
AND BRUTALLY BEATEN,
BUT HE NEVER GAVE UP HOPE.
Lewis: I COULD NO LONGER
BE SATISFIED
OR GO ALONG WITH
AN EVIL SYSTEM.
AND IN SPITE OF ALL OF THIS,I HAD TO KEEP LOVING THE PEOPLE
WHO DENIED ME SERVICE.
Gates: THE STRENGTH
OF JOHN LEWIS'S COMMITMENT
TO SOCIAL CHANGE
HAS INSPIRED ME EVER SINCE
THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON
IN 1963.
IT'S EASY TO SEE ECHOES OF
JOHN'S COMPASSION AND COURAGE
IN CORY BOOKER.
I CAN'T HELP BUT WONDER
WHAT MADE THEM THAT WAY.
COULD THE EXPERIENCES OFANCESTORS ON THEIR FAMILY TREES
YIELD CLUES?
TO FIND THE ANSWERS
TO THESE QUESTIONS,
I NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHERE,
AND FROM WHOM, THEY DESCENDED.
I NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHERE,
AND FROM WHOM, THEY DESCENDED.
CORY BEGAN THIS JOURNEY
BY VISITING HIS PARENTS,
IN AN EFFORT TO FIND OUT
WHAT HE COULD
ABOUT HIS FAMILY HISTORY.
HE WAS ESPECIALLY INTERESTED
IN HIS FATHER'S BACKGROUND
AND THE ORIGINS
OF THE BOOKER NAME.
HIS FATHER CARY STRUGGLES
WITH PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
BUT IT HASN'T SLOWED
HIS QUICK HUMOR.
WHERE DOES OUR NAMECOME FROM, THOUGH?
WHERE IS THE BOOKER NAME?
DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA?
YOU GOING TO MAKE UP
A STORY?
'CAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW.
I'VE ASKED YOU THIS QUESTION
A HUNDRED TIMES.
I'D LIKE TO GET THE SECRET OUT,
BUT YOUR MOTHER'S NAME WAS...
JESSIE LUCILLE BOOKER.
Gates: TRACING THE BOOKER NAME
WAS NO EASY TASK.
CORY'S FATHER WAS BORN IN
NORTH CAROLINA IN 1936
TO A SINGLE WOMAN NAMED
JESSIE LUCILLE BOOKER.
BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T RAISE CARY,
Booker: MY FATHER WAS BORN
TO A SINGLE MOTHER,
AND REALLY GOT ADOPTEDBY THE WHOLE COMMUNITY
BECAUSE SHE HAD A DIFFICULT
TIME TAKING CARE OF HIM.
SO I'M VERY CURIOUS ABOUT
MY FATHER'S BACKGROUND.
WE REALLY HAVE HAD A HARD STOP,
PRETTY MUCH,
NOT KNOWING, REALLY,
FROM WHENCE HE CAME.
WOULD YOU PLEASE
TURN THE PAGE?
SURE.
CORY, DO YOU KNOW WHO
THESE WOMEN ARE?
NO. NO.
Gates:
YOU ARE LOOKING
AT THREE
GENERATIONS
OF YOUR FAMILY.
THIS IS
YOUR FATHER'S MOTHER.
WHICH ONE?
THE YOUNGEST ONE.
WHICH IS AMAZING,'CAUSE I CAN SEE IT.
I ABSOLUTELY SEE IT.
HER NAME IS
JESSIE LUCILLE BOOKER.
AND SHE'S THERE
WITH HER MOTHER, MARY,
AND HER GRANDMOTHER,
WHOSE NAME WAS NANNY.
WOW! THAT IS REALLY,
REALLY INCREDIBLE.
AND THIS PICTURE MUST
BE VERY, VERY OLD.
THE MOST STRIKING THING
ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPH
IS THAT THERE ARE NO MEN
IN THIS PICTURE.
WHO WAS JESSIE LUCILLE BOOKER'S
FATHER?
DID HE GIVE HER
THE BOOKER NAME?
RESEARCHER PHILLIP SMITH
IN KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE,
HELPED US TRACK HIM DOWN.
HE WAS ABLE TO LOCATE
A 12-YEAR-OLD
JESSIE LUCILLE BOOKER,
LIVING WITH HER PARENTS
IN KNOXVILLE IN 1920.
Smith: WE'VE GOT
THE 1920 CENSUS
FOR THE 8th WARD OF
THE CITY OF KNOXVILLE.
THERE WE SEE, FOR THE FIRST
AND PERHAPS ONLY TIME,
A NUCLEAR FAMILY
CONSISTING OF A HUSBAND,
FRANK BOOKER;
THE WIFE, MARY BOOKER;
AND THE CHILD,
LUCILLE BOOKER.
AND THE CHILD,
LUCILLE BOOKER.
FRANK BOOKER.
THIS IS CORY'S
GREAT GRANDFATHER,
WHOSE NAME HAD BEEN LOST
UNTIL NOW.
WE WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD
FIND OUT ANYTHING MORE
ABOUT FRANK'S LIFE,
SO PHILLIP CHECKED
KNOXVILLE CITY DIRECTORIES
THROUGHOUT THE 1920s.
Smith: WE FIND A FRANK BOOKER.
A KEY PART OF
THE INFORMATION IS
THE OCCUPATION
OF MR. BOOKER.
IT SHOWS HIM AS A FIREMAN
FOR THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
FIREMEN WERE THE PEOPLE WHO
TENDED TO THE STEAM ENGINES
ON THE TRAINS.
[ STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS ]
WHEN MANY AFRICAN-AMERICANS
WERE STILL WORKING
IN THE FIELDS AS SHARECROPPERS,
A JOB AS A FIREMAN
ON THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY
WAS A PROMISING OPPORTUNITY.
IT GAVE CORY'S
GREAT GRANDFATHER
HIS FIRST CHANCE
AT UPWARD MOBILITY.
BUT IT HAD
ITS COST.
THE RAILROAD KEPT FRANK
CONSTANTLY ON THE MOVE
AND AWAY FROM HIS FAMILY.
THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE,
FRANK BOOKER COULD BE FOUND
IN PUBLIC RECORDS
LIVING IN ASHEVILLE,
KNOXVILLE, CHATTANOOGA,
AND CINCINNATI.
ALL STOPS
ON THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY.
RESEARCHER PHILLIP SMITH
THOUGHT THAT FRANK BOOKER'S
JOB ON THE RAILROAD MIGHT
SOMEHOW EXPLAIN HIS ABSENCE
FROM CORY'S FAMILY HISTORY.
SO HE KEPT SEARCHING.
Smith: SO WE KNOW FRANK IS
GOING FROM TOWN TO TOWN
IN HIS OCCUPATION.
AND THEN SUDDENLY WE RUN ACROSS
A DIVORCE PROCEEDING.
THE DIVORCE PAPERS TELL US THAT
A MARY BOOKER
IS FILING FOR DIVORCE
FROM A FRANK BOOKER.
THEY TELL US THAT HE HASN'T
CONTRIBUTED ANYTHING
TO HER SUPPORT FOR THE LAST
10 YEARS OR MORE.
FRANK HAS BEEN ALL BUT UNSEEN
SINCE JUST AFTER 1920.
SHE'S SEEN HIM ONCE
IN CINCINNATI
IN THAT ENTIRE
10-YEAR PERIOD.
UH...
SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT FAMILIES
WOULD DRIFT APART.
SO THESE THREE WOMEN
WERE THE WOMEN, OBVIOUSLY,
YOUR DIRECT LINE,
DIRECT DESCENDANTS.
AFTER OUR INTERVIEW,
CORY SHARED WHAT HE LEARNED
ABOUT FRANK BOOKER
WITH HIS FATHER.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT
THE BOOKER FAMILY NAME
ORIGINATES FROM A FIREMANON THE SOUTHERN RAILROAD,
NAMED FRANK BOOKER.
SO HE WAS TRAVELING ALL AROUND
THE SOUTHERN RAILROAD.
WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT HE DIED
IN CINCINNATI.
WE HAVE HIM IN CHATTANOOGA.
WE HAVE HIM LIVING HERE
IN KNOXVILLE.
AND WHAT
THE DIVORCE PAPERS SHOW...
AND WHAT
THE DIVORCE PAPERS SHOW...
YOU HAVETHE DIVORCE PAPERS?
THESE ARE THE ACTUAL DIVORCE
PAPERS OF YOUR GRANDMOTHER.
AND LET ME SHOW YOU WHY
DID SHE DIVORCE THIS MAN.
BECAUSE THE "DEFENDANT WILLFULLY
AND MALICIOUSLY DESERTED
AND ABANDONED"
YOUR GRANDMOTHER.
AND SO YOUR GRANDMOTHER
WAS RAISING YOUR MOTHER ALONE.
FROM HIS GRANDPARENTS'
DIVORCE,
TO HIS OWN
FATHERLESS CHILDHOOD,
CORY'S FATHER'S PAST
IS A SAD PATTERN
OF BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS.
IT'S AN EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE
FOR HIM TO SEE THIS THEME
REFLECTED IN HIS FAMILY TREE.
AND THESE ARE THE WOMEN
THAT I KNOW YOU KNOW
BECAUSE I'VE HEARD YOU
TELLING STORIES ABOUT THEM.
IT'S REALLY AMAZING.
MYSTERY SOLVED.
NOPE.
WE GOT OUR NAMES FROM
A FIREMAN
ON THE SOUTHERN RAILROAD.
FOR SOME AFRICAN-AMERICANS,
ECONOMIC MOBILITY IN THE 1920s
CAME AT THE COST
OF FAMILY STABILITY.
TWO GENERATIONS EARLIER,
IT WAS SLAVERY
THAT COULD TRAGICALLY SPLIT UP
LOVING COUPLES
AND WITHOUT WARNING,
SEPARATE FAMILIES FOREVER.
BUT ON JOHN LEWIS'S
FAMILY TREE,
WE UNCOVERED A STORY
ABOUT THE BONDS OF LOVE.
BONDS SO STRONG, NOT EVEN
SLAVERY COULD SEVER THEM.
Gates: WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THE RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
DURING SLAVERY,
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF,
WHAT COMES TO MIND?
THAT DURING
THE DAYS OF SLAVERY,
MEN AND WOMEN, FAMILIES,
WERE SEPARATED, BROKEN UP.
MOST OF US THINK OFFORCED SEPARATION, RAPE.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, JOHN,
SOMETIMES HISTORY IS
SURPRISING.
A RESEARCH INTO JOHN'S
MOTHER'S FAMILY, THE CARTERS,
LED US BACK FOUR GENERATIONS,
TO HIS GREAT
GREAT GRANDPARENTS,
TOBIAS
AND ELIZABETH CARTER.
THEY LIVED MOST OF
THEIR LIVES AS SLAVES,
NOT FAR FROM WHERE JOHN
HIMSELF WAS BORN,
IN PIKE COUNTY, ALABAMA.
WELL, WE FOUND SOME EVIDENCE
THAT GIVES US AN IDEA OF WHAT
KIND OF RELATIONSHIP
YOUR GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS,
TOBIAS AND ELIZABETH CARTER,
HAD.
IT'S AN AMAZING THING TO FIND,
WHAT I'M ABOUT TO SHOW YOU.
COULD YOU TURN THE PAGE?
JOHN, YOU'RE LOOKING
AT THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
OF YOUR GREAT GREAT
GRANDPARENTS,
TOBIAS AND BETTY CARTER.
AND IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY AT
THE DATE,
DECEMBER 16, 1865.
DECEMBER 16, 1865,
IS JUST 10 DAYS
AFTER ALL THE SLAVES WERE FREED
BY THE 13th AMENDMENT.
YOUR GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS,
AS SOON AS THEY COULD, JOHN,
RUSHED DOWN TO THE COURTHOUSE
AND GOT MARRIED.
RUSHED DOWN TO THE COURTHOUSE
AND GOT MARRIED.
IT'S AMAZING.
YOU HAVE NOT ONLY DEEP ROOTS
IN ALABAMA, BUT VERY STABLE
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS,
GOING BACK AS SOON ASTHE SLAVES WERE FREED.
IT'S INCREDIBLE.
THIS IS UNREAL.
AND MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
MY MOTHER.
DURING SLAVERY,
MANY AFRICAN-AMERICAN COUPLES
HELD WEDDING CEREMONIES
CALLED "JUMPING THE BROOM,"
RITUALS OF MARRIAGE THAT WERE
NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE LAW.
BUT WHEN THEY WERE FREED,JOHN'S GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS
MADE THEIR UNION LEGAL
IN JUST A MATTER OF DAYS.
I WONDERED IF THIS WAS COMMON,
SO I TURNED
TO MY HARVARD COLLEAGUE,
HISTORIAN ANNETTE GORDON-REED,
FOR INSIGHT.
THIS IS THE MARRIAGE LICENSE
FOR TOBIAS AND BETTY CARTER.
AND TOBIAS AND BETTY CARTER ARE
THE GREAT GREAT GRANDPARENTS
OF CONGRESSMAN JOHN LEWIS.
AS YOU'LL SEE, IT IS DATED
DECEMBER 16, 1865,
WHICH HAPPENS TO BE 10 DAYS
AFTER THE RATIFICATION
OF THE 13th AMENDMENT.
TOBIAS AND BETTY ARE
ABOUT 45 YEARS OLD.
THE FIRST THING YOU DO
IS GET MARRIED?
WHAT'S THISABSOLUTELY,
ABOUT?
ABSOLUTELY, THE DENIAL OF
FAMILY RIGHTS,
BASIC FAMILY RIGHTS, WAS ONE
OF THE THINGS
THAT MADE SLAVERY SO HORRIBLE,
AND SLAVE PEOPLE WANTED TO BE
ABLE TO FORM FAMILIES.
SO THIS WAS A WAY OF AFFIRMING
THEIR HUMANITY
AND AFFIRMING THEIR RIGHT
TO ONE ANOTHER.
WAS THERE A RUSH?
OH, THERE WAS A RUSH.
THE AUTHORITY OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT ALLOWED THIS,
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT
WAS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT THEY LOOKED FORWARD TO,
AND THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF IT
AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE,
SO IT'S NOT A SURPRISE TO ME.
IT'S VERY MOVING
TO SEE THIS.
THIS DOCUMENT TESTIFIES
TO A LOVE SO STRONG,
IT WAS ABLE TO SURVIVE
THE BONDS OF ENSLAVEMENT.
IN TROY, ALABAMA,
JOHN LEWIS'S HOMETOWN,
RESEARCHERS HELPED US
UNCOVER MORE
ABOUT TOBIAS
AND ELIZABETH CARTER.
COURTHOUSE RECORDS SHOWED
TOBIAS AND ELIZABETH
TAKING ADVANTAGE
OF ANOTHER RIGHT
THEY HAD BEEN DENIED
UNDER SLAVERY --
THE RIGHT TO OWN PROPERTY.
Woman: WE'RE LOOKING
IN A DEED BOOK.
AND WE'RE LOOKING FOR DEEDS
FOR MR. TOBIAS
AND ELIZABETH CARTER.
AND WE FIND A DEED HERE
FOR THE SUM OF $400.
MR. TOBE CARTER PURCHASED
THIS PROPERTY THE 16th DAY
OF DECEMBER, 1869.
THIS IS PROBABLY
ONE OF THE FIRST RECORDS OF SOME
SLAVES OWNING LAND
AFTER THEY WERE EMANCIPATED.
THAT IS AWESOME.
HERE WE HAVE ANOTHER RECORD
ON PAGE 482.
THIS DEED, THEY'RE ACTUALLY
SELLING PROPERTY
IN THE AMOUNT OF $800, WOW.
IN THE AMOUNT OF $800, WOW.
AND AT THAT TIME, I'M SURE $800
WAS A LOT OF MONEY.
IN ALL, WE UNCOVERED
FIVE DEEDS
THAT SHOWED TOBIAS
AND ELIZABETH
BUYING AND SELLING LAND
IN THE 20 YEARS FOLLOWING
THEIR EMANCIPATION.
AT ONE POINT, THEY OWNED
OVER 200 ACRES.
ALL OF THESE WERE
YOUR FAMILY'S PROPERTY.
CAN YOU READTHE TRANSCRIPTION?
"DECEMBER 1869.
TOBIAS AND ELIZABETH
PURCHASED 76 ACRES
FROM G.J. DON
FOR $400."
DECEMBER 1869.
NOW, THAT'S JUST FOUR YEARS
AFTER SLAVERY ENDED.
NOW, STARTING WITH NOTHING,
TOBIAS AND ELIZABETH HAD
SOMEHOW MANAGED
TO SAVE UP $400IN JUST FOUR YEARS.
THAT'S AMAZING.
IT'S AMAZING!
HOW DID THEY SAVE IT
BACK THEN IN 1869?
IT'S REMARKABLE
TO FIND EVIDENCE
OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS THRIVING
SO SOON AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,
WHEN FREEDOM OFTEN MEANT
STARTING FROM SCRATCH.
A SIMILAR MYSTERY SITS AT THE
CENTER OF MY OWN FAMILY TREE.
MY GREAT GREAT GRANDMOTHER,
JANE GATES,
PURCHASED A HOUSE IN
CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND, IN 1871,
AFTER LIVING HER LIFE
AS A SLAVE.
WE'VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD
HOW A FORMER SLAVE
AND A SINGLE WOMAN WAS ABLE
TO PAY FOR HER OWN HOME
IN A WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE SUSPECT IT WAS GIVEN TO HER
BY HER SLAVE OWNER,
BUT WE'VE NEVER FOUND PROOF.
HOW COULD SLAVES AMASS
THIS MUCH MONEY SO QUICKLY?
TO FIND OUT, WE SEARCH FOR
THE IDENTITY OF THEIR OWNERS
AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND
THE NATURE
OF THE MASTER-SLAVE
RELATIONSHIP.
AFTER EMANCIPATION,
JOHN LEWIS'S GREAT
GREAT GRANDPARENTS
LIVED NEAR A WHITE MAN
NAMED JOEL CARTER.
BECAUSE MANY SLAVES TOOK
THEIR MASTER'S SURNAMES,
WE SUSPECTED THAT JOEL
MIGHT HAVE BEEN THEIR OWNER.
WE WERE STUNNED TO DISCOVER
THAT JOEL CARTER'S
GRANDDAUGHTER
LEFT A MEMOIR THAT
ACTUALLY MENTIONS
TOBIAS AND ELIZABETH
BY NAME.
I WAS SO EXCITED THAT
I TRAVELED TO ATLANTA
TO VISIT TOM BUCHANAN,
JOEL CARTER'S THIRD
GREAT GRANDSON,
TO SEE THIS INCREDIBLE
DOCUMENT FOR MYSELF.
WHEN WE CONTACTED YOU
BY E-MAIL
TO ASK IF YOU HAD EVER HEARD
OF TWO SLAVES NAMED TOBIAS
AND ELIZABETH CARTER,
WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION?
AS SOON AS I SAW THAT E-MAIL,
STARTED READING IT,
AND I SAW THOSE TWO NAMES,
I KNEW IMMEDIATELY
ABOUT WHERE THIS WAS GOING.
I HADN'T GOTTEN TO
THE JOHN LEWIS PART YET,
I HADN'T GOTTEN TO
THE JOHN LEWIS PART YET,
WHICH BLEW ME AWAY.
BUT I KNEW THAT THIS WAS
GOING TO HAVE SOMETHING
TO DO WITH
MY THIRD GREAT GRANDFATHER.
THIS IS THE MEMOIR THAT I FOUND
IN MY PARENTS' CLOSET.
Gates: AND HOW OLD
WERE YOU?
I WAS ABOUT 23 AT THE TIME.
20 YEARS AGO,
TOM DISCOVERED A MEMOIR
WRITTEN BY HIS GREAT GREAT
AUNT, SARAH ABERNATHY,
THAT IGNITED HIS INTEREST
IN HIS OWN FAMILY HISTORY.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF
SARAH SELLERS ABERNATHY,
THE AUTHOR OF
THE FAMILY NOTES.
Gates: HOW IS SHE RELATED
TO JOEL CARTER?
Buchanan:
SHE IS HIS GRANDDAUGHTER,
AND IN ABOUT 1940, SHE BEGAN
TO PUT PEN TO PAPER,
WHERE SHE'S RELATING
FAMILY STORIES
THAT HAD BEEN
PASSED ON TO HER.
IT'S SO RARE FOR ANYONE
TO HAVE A RECORD
OF THEIR ANCESTORS' SLAVES
BY NAME,
BUT YOU HAVE A MEMOIR.
COULD YOU READ ME THE SECTION
THAT MOST FASCINATED YOU?
Buchanan: SURE. ABSOLUTELY.
[Clears throat]
"HIS NEGROES" -- THAT IS,
JOEL CARTER'S NEGROES --
WERE LOYAL TO OLD MASTER.
BETS, THE COOK ARMED
WITH AN AXE,
STOOD AT THE DOOR
AND DEFIED THE YANKS
TO PESTER OLD MASTER
OR TO ENTER THE HOME.
FOR HER LOYALTY,
SHE AND HER HUSBAND WERE
GIVEN A PIECE OF LAND,
A CABIN AND SUPPLIES.
MY GRANDFATHER SAID,
'MY CHILDREN ARE YOUNG.
THEY WILL BE ABLE
TO PRODUCE FOR THEMSELVES
WHAT TOBY AND BETS ARE TOO
OLD AND FEEBLE TO EARN.'"
Gates: WOW, THAT'S GREAT.
TOBE AND BETS, AND THOSE
ARE JOHN LEWIS'S GREAT
GREAT GRANDPARENTS.
IT'S INCREDIBLE.
WOW!
WHAT A DISCOVERY.
Lewis: "MY CHILDREN ARE YOUNG
AND ABLE TO GET FOR THEMSELVES
WHAT BETS AND TOBE ARE
TOO OLD AND FEEBLE
TO EARN FOR THEMSELVES."
ELIZABETH, BESSIE,
AND TOBIAS.
SHE IS WRITING
ABOUT YOUR GREATGREAT GRANDPARENTS.
AND NOW WE KNOW HOW THEY
GOT THAT LAND IN 1869.
AND THERE IS A RECORD
IN A BOOK.
THE WRITTEN WORD,
IT'S POWERFUL.
THEY ARE YOUR GREATGREAT GRANDPARENTS
BEING WRITTEN ABOUTBY THE GRANDDAUGHTER
OF THE CONFEDERATE MAN
WHO OWNED THEM!
THAT IS REALLY...
THAT IS WILD.
SEE, WE THINK WE UNDERSTAND
SLAVERY.
BUT IT WAS MORE COMPLICATED
THAN ANY OF US CAN POSSIBLY
HAVE IMAGINED.
DOES IT BOTHER YOU AT ALL
TO READ
THAT YOUR ANCESTORS WERE
LOYAL TO THEIR MASTER
DURING THE CIVIL WAR?
NO, IT DOESN'T
DISTURB ME.
THIS IS RELATIONSHIPS.
YOU BE AROUND PEOPLE,
YOU...
YOU, UM...
YOU BECOME FAMILY.
WHEN YOU START
TO EXPLORE YOUR ROOTS,
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON
TO FIND FAMILY
IN THE MOST UNEXPECTED
PLACES.
CORY BOOKER'S FAMILY TREE IS
FULL OF UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.
ONE IN PARTICULAR HAS
LINGERED ON HIS MOTHER'S LINE
FOR ALMOST A CENTURY.
JUST BY LOOKING
AT CORY'S BLUE EYES
AND HIS MOTHER CAROLYN'S
LIGHT COMPLEXION,
IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THEY HAVE
WHITE ANCESTRY.
RUMORS ABOUT HIS PATERNITY
SWIRLED
AROUND CAROLYN'S FATHER,
CORY'S GRANDFATHER,
LIMUARY JORDAN.
LIMUARY GREW UP IN LOUISIANA,
A CHILD OF BLACK PARENTS.
BUT HE LOOKED SO UNLIKE
HIS BROTHER
THAT HIS ACTUAL BIOLOGICAL
FATHER'S IDENTITY
WAS ALWAYS IN QUESTION.
LIMUARY RECORDED HIS LIFE STORY
IN A 58-PAGE
HANDWRITTEN MEMOIR.
HE WROTE THAT HE HAD REASON
TO BELIEVE
THAT HIS FATHER
WAS A WHITE MAN,
BUT IF HE KNEW IT, HE DIDN'T
REVEAL THE MAN'S NAME.
Gates: HAVE YOU EVER HEARD
ANYTHING ABOUT
YOUR GRANDFATHER LIMUARY'S
PATERNITY
OR ANYTHING ABOUT HIM
BEING LIGHTER?
Booker: I'VE HEARD
A LOT OF STORIES.
IN FACT, THERE'S A POWERFUL
MOMENT THAT I REMEMBER
IN HIM TELLING ME,
CHOKING UP,
THAT HE WAS, HE USEDTHE WORD "ILLEGITIMATE."
AND HE SAID THAT MY GREATGRANDMOTHER, WHO I GOT TO KNOW,
"BIG MAMA," TOOK HIM ONE DAY
TO A WHITE DOCTOR,
AND THEN WHEN THEY LEFT,
SHE SAID TO HIM,
AS THEY WERE LEAVING,"BY THE WAY, THAT WAS
YOUR FATHER."
WOW!
IT MUST HAVE BEEN
DIFFICULT FOR HIM.
IT WAS PAINFUL FOR HIM.
I GET EMOTIONAL -- HE WASA LARGER-THAN-LIFE FIGURE
WHO PLAYED SUCH A SEMINAL
ROLE IN RAISING ME.
ALZINIA JORDAN WAS JUST
A TEENAGER
WHEN SHE GAVE BIRTH TO LIMUARY
IN 1916.
SHE WAS A STRONG WOMAN,
KNOWN BY THE FAMILY
AS "BIG MAMA."
Carolyn: THAT'S BIG MAMA.
THAT'S YOUR GREAT GRANDMOTHER.
Booker: WHO I KNOW
AS "BIG MAMA."
SHE NEVER MARRIED
GRANDDAD'S FATHER,
WHO WAS MOST LIKELY WHITE.
WELL, WE DON'T KNOW HOWSHE CAME TO FATHER OUR DAD.
BUT GRANDDAD ONCE TOLD ME THAT
HE MET HIS FATHER,
WHO WAS A DOCTOR...
WHEN HE WAS13 YEARS OLD.
WENT TO THE DOCTOR AND...
BUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES
BEHIND THAT,
WE DON'T KNOW, OKAY?
REMEMBER, THESE WERE
SEGREGATED TIMES
AND SHE LIVEDIN THE DEEP SOUTH.
AND CERTAINLY...
IT COULD BE ANYTHING.
IT COULD BE ANYTHING.
WE JUST DON'T KNOW.
LIMUARY WAS BORN
IN COLUMBIA, LOUISIANA,
AT THE HEIGHT OF JIM CROW.
LIKE MOST SMALL TOWNS
IN THE SOUTH,
COLUMBIA HAD A SHARPLY DRAWN
COLOR LINE.
IN 1908,
LOUISIANA PASSED A LAW
THAT MADE INTERRACIAL
RELATIONSHIPS A FELONY.
THAT MADE INTERRACIAL
RELATIONSHIPS A FELONY.
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE
THE NATURE OF THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN ALZINIA
AND THE WHITE TOWN DOCTOR.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT IT
WOULD HAVE BEEN
A DANGEROUS THING
TO MAKE PUBLIC.
LIMUARY DIED,
NEVER KNOWING THE TRUTH
ABOUT HIS BIOLOGICAL FATHER'S
IDENTITY.
AND THIS SHAMEFUL SECRET
TROUBLED HIM HIS ENTIRE LIFE.
SO, WE WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD
TRACK DOWN THIS DOCTOR,
A HUNDRED YEARS AFTER LIMUARY
WAS BORN.
WE FOUND THREE DOCTORS
WHO COULD POSSIBLY
HAVE BEEN HIS FATHER.
ONE WAS A VETERINARIAN,
WHICH DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT.
THE OTHER MAN WHO WAS A DOCTOR
DIED TOO EARLY
FOR YOUR GRANDFATHER
TO HAVE MET HIM.
SO THAT MEANS THAT ONLY ONE
WAS LEFT.
WOULD YOU PLEASE TURN
THE PAGE?
WOULD YOU MIND READING
THE TRANSCRIBED SECTION
OF THE 1920 CENSUS?
SURE. THE NAMEIS STEPHEN H. BROWN.
HIS COLOR OR RACE WAS WHITE.
HIS AGE WAS 46.
AND HIS OCCUPATION
WAS PHYSICIAN.
STEPHEN H. BROWN, LIVING IN
COLUMBIA, LOUISIANA, PHYSICIAN.
COULD HE BE THE ONE?
COULD HE BE
YOUR GRANDFATHER'S FATHER?
MY GREAT GRANDFATHER.
WE HAD A CANDIDATE.
ALL SIGNS POINTED
TO DR. STEPHEN H. BROWN.
IN THE PAST, THIS WOULD HAVE
BEEN IMPOSSIBLE TO PROVE.
BUT TODAY, WE HAVE A POWERFUL
NEW TOOL -- DNA TESTING --
TO HELP US UNCOVER
THE TRUTH.
INCREDIBLY, WE FOUND
A LIVING DESCENDANT
OF DR. STEPHEN H. BROWN.
A 50-YEAR-OLD LAWYER
IN LOUISIANA
NAMED MICHAEL HISLOP.
Hislop: STEPHEN H. BROWN WAS
MY MOTHER'S GRANDFATHER.
SO HE WOULD BE
MY GREAT GRANDFATHER.
MICHAEL AGREED TO TAKE
A FAMILY TREE DNA TEST
THAT WOULD ALLOW
US TO DETERMINE
WHETHER OR NOT HE WAS
CORY'S COUSIN.
WERE WE ABOUT TO UNCOVER
A SECRET THAT HAD BEEN KEPT
IN CORY'S FAMILY
FOR ALMOST A HUNDRED YEARS?
I ASKED SCIENTIST
JOANNA MOUNTAIN
FROM THE COMPANY 23andME
TO EXPLAIN HOW
DNA TESTING WORKS
IN THIS CASE.
IF YOU SUSPECT THAT TWO PEOPLEHAVE THE SAME GREAT GRANDPARENT,
HOW CAN DNA PROVE
OR DISPROVE THAT?
THAT WOULD MAKE THEM
SECOND COUSINS,
AND VIRTUALLY ALL PAIRSOF SECOND COUSINS SHARE
LONG SEGMENTS OF DNA
THAT ARE MATCHING.
USUALLY SEVERALOF THOSE SEGMENTS.
WE'VE DONE SIMULATIONS
TO FIGURE OUT
EXACTLY WHATTO EXPECT THERE
AND IF THEY ARE SECOND COUSINS,WE SHOULD SEE THAT IN THE DNA.
SO, IF THEY SHARE SIGNIFICANT
SEGMENTS OF IDENTICAL DNA,
MICHAEL HISLOP AND CORY BOOKER
ARE SECOND COUSINS.
MICHAEL HISLOP AND CORY BOOKER
ARE SECOND COUSINS.
THAT'S RIGHT.
WHEN SCIENTISTS ANALYZED
THE DNA,
THE RESULTS WERE CONCLUSIVE.
WE HAD OUR ANSWER.
WOULD YOU TURN THE PAGE?
CORY, YOU AND MICHAEL HISLOP
HAVE SHARED SEGMENTS OF DNA
ON YOUR FIRST, YOUR FOURTH,
AND YOUR TENTH CHROMOSOMES.
YOU AND MICHAEL DESCEND
FROM THE SAME MAN.
WOW!
[ TAPS TABLE ]
THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
THE SAME GREAT GRANDPARENT,
DR. STEPHEN H. BROWN.
IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE A LOT,
BUT THOSE THREE SEGMENTS
OF ORANGE
ARE, IN FACT,
QUITE SIGNIFICANT.
FURTHER PROOF WAS FOUND IN
CORY'S ADMIXTURE RESULTS,
WHICH REVEALED THAT HE IS
45% EUROPEAN.
WOW!
AND STEPHEN BROWN, DO WE...
I'M REALLY CURIOUS
ABOUT HIM.
WOULD YOU TURN THE PAGE?
YEAH.
THAT'S HIM.
THAT'S HIM.THAT MUST BE HIM.
YOU KNOW WHY -- HE LOOKSA LOT LIKE MY GRANDFATHER.
HE LOOKS A LOT LIKE
MY GRANDFATHER.
UNBELIEVABLE.
I'M BLOWN AWAY.
BLOWN AWAY.
AND YOU FOUND ANOTHER
GREAT GRANDSON
TO TEST HIS DNA?
YEAH. YOU WANTMY COUSIN.
TO SEE HIM?
TURN THE PAGE.
THAT'S YOUR COUSIN.
UNBELIEVABLE.
THIS IS MICHAEL HISLOP.
HE'S YOUR SECOND COUSIN.
I'VE GOT CHILLS.THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
IT'S YOUR FAMILY.
I WISH MY GRANDFATHER
KNEW THIS.
I WISH MY GRANDFATHER
KNEW IT FOR SURE.
DO YOU WANT TO MEET
MICHAEL HISLOP?
I WOULD LOVE TO MEET
MICHAEL HISLOP.
WITH THE HELP OF DNA,
WE ADDED MANY MORE BRANCHES
TO CORY BOOKER'S FAMILY TREE.
STARTING WITH HIS NEWFOUND
GREAT GRANDFATHER,
DR. STEPHEN H. BROWN.
I BROUGHT MICHAEL HISLOP
AND HIS UNCLE, DONALD BROWN,
TO NEW JERSEY
TO MEET THE BOOKERS.
A FAMILY REUNION
WAS IN ORDER.
Carolyn:HELLO THERE.
Gates: CORY,
THIS IS DONALD.
CORY BOOKER. SUCHA PLEASURE TO MEET YOU.
AND I COULD ADDRESS YOU
AS MR. MAYOR, YOUR HONOR,
BUT I BELIEVE I'LL
JUST CALL YOU COUSIN.
DONALD IS
DR. STEPHEN BROWN'S GRANDSON,
AND HE IS THE FIRST COUSIN
CAROLYN BOOKER NEVER KNEW
SHE HAD.
SO NICE TO MEET YOU!I'M CARY.
I STARTED A FANTASY THAT ONEDAY WE WOULD FIND THE FAMILY.
REALLY?YEAH. I'VE RUN IT OVER
IN MY MIND.
THIS IS NOT HOW ITWOULD HAVE HAPPENED.
I WOULD HAVE GONE DOWNSOUTH TO FIND THE DOCTOR.
I PLAYED THAT FANTASY MANY,
MANY TIMES IN MY LIFE.
I PLAYED THAT FANTASY MANY,
MANY TIMES IN MY LIFE.
SO THIS TO ME ISTHE FULFILLMENT OF A DREAM
THAT WAS SPAWNED BYMY GRANDFATHER'S DESIRE
TO BRING CLOSURE
TO HIS LIFE.
Gates: THE KEY THING
WAS YOUR WILLINGNESS
TO ENGAGE
IN THE EXPERIMENT.
YOUR OPENNESS.
I WAS A LITTLE
SURPRISED.
WHEN I GOT THE CALL JUST
OUT OF THE BLUE
ASKING, "WOULD YOU HAPPEN
TO HAVE BEEN RELATED
TO DR. STEPHEN H. BROWN?"
AND I SAID, "THAT WAS
MY GREAT GRANDFATHER."
THEN I GOT THE CALL
ABOUT WHETHER I WOULD AGREE
TO DO THE DNA TEST.
Cory: I WONDER HOW YOU FELTWHEN SOMEBODY COMES UP TO YOU
AND ASKS YOU FOR YOUR DNA.
WELL, THAT WASN'T THE FIRST
CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD.
Gates: HAD YOU HEARD OF HIM?
I HAD. I DIDN'T KNOW
A LOT ABOUT YOU,
BUT I HAD HEARD
OF YOU.
SO, I HAD NO RESERVATIONS
ABOUT DOING IT, SO...
I HAVE TO CONFESS,
I HAD NEVER HEARD OF YOU.
Gates: WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING,
HONESTLY, THE FIRST THING
THAT WENT THROUGH YOUR MIND
WHEN YOU WERE TOLD
THAT YOU HAD AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN
FIRST COUSIN?
WELL, I'VE ALWAYS
HEARD WISE MEN SAY
THAT WE'RE ALL BROTHERS
AND SISTERS UNDER THE SKIN
AND I THINK
THIS PROVES IT.
IT CERTAINLY DOES.
FUNDING THE THREADS THAT TIE US
TO THE PEOPLE
WHOSE ANCESTRY WE SHARE.
WHATEVER THEIR COLOR,
WHENEVER THEY LIVED.
SOMETIMES WE OBSERVE
THESE CONNECTIONS
IN A PHYSICAL TRAIT,
PROVE THEM WITH GENETICS,
OR DISCOVER CLUES BURIED DEEP
IN A FAMILY MEMOIR.
SOMETIMES IT TURNS OUT
THAT THE SPIRIT OF
OUR ANCESTORS HAS GUIDED US
IN WAYS THAT
WE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED.
JOHN LEWIS'S CAMPAIGN
FOR VOTING RIGHTS
HAS BEEN A DEEPLY PERSONAL
MISSION,
EVER SINCE HE MARCHED
IN PROTEST
FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY
IN 1965.
HE HAD NO IDEA THAT RESEARCH
INTO HIS FAMILY'S PAST
WOULD MAKE THIS MISSION
EVEN MORE MEANINGFUL.
THERE'S ONE MORE THING THAT I
WANT YOU TO KNOW, JOHN,
ABOUT YOUR GREAT GREATGRANDFATHER TOBIAS CARTER.
AND IT'S SOMETHING OF
A MIRACLE.
CAN YOU TURN THE PAGE,
PLEASE?
YES.
JOHN, THIS IS A PAGE FROMTHE VOTER REGISTRATION ROLLS
FOR ALABAMAIN THE YEAR 1867.
COULD YOU READTHE TRANSCRIBED NAME?
"CARTER, TOBIAS."
YOUR GREAT GREATGRANDFATHER TOBIAS CARTER
REGISTERED TO VOTE
AS A CITIZEN
OF THE UNITED STATESOF AMERICA IN 1867.
TWO YEARS AFTER HE WAS
FREED FROM SLAVERY,
TWO YEARS AFTER HE WAS
FREED FROM SLAVERY,
THE SECOND HE COULD
REGISTER TO VOTE.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE.
IT IS INCREDIBLE.
I DON'T THINK MY PARENTS
OR GRANDPARENTS
EVER VOTED BEFORE 1965.
THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED
TO REGISTER TO VOTE
AS FAR AS I KNOW.
HOW IS IT THAT JOHN'S PARENTS
WERE NOT ALLOWED TO VOTE
WHEN THEIR SLAVE ANCESTOR WAS
GIVEN THAT RIGHT
A HUNDRED YEARS EARLIER?
I PAID A VISIT TO
MY FRIEND KEN MACK,
A PROFESSOR AT
THE HARVARD LAW SCHOOL,
TO ASK HIM TO EXPLAIN
THIS COMPLICATED HISTORY.
Mack: IN 1867,
CONGRESS PASSED A STATUTE
SAYING THAT
YOU COULDN'T DEPRIVE ANYONE OF
THE VOTE BECAUSE OF RACE.
THAT ALLOWED BLACK PEOPLE IN
ALABAMA TO VOTE
FOR THE FIRST TIME.
TOBIAS CARTER DIED ABOUT
1890, WE THINK.
WHAT HAPPENED IN AMERICA
TO THE RIGHTS OF THE NEGRO
BETWEEN 1867 AND 1890?
IN 1874, THE DEMOCRATS TOOK OVER
THE ALABAMA GOVERNMENT.
THE DEMOCRATS DID NOT WANT
AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO VOTE.
THERE WAS RAMPANT VIOLENCE
THROUGHOUT ALABAMA
THROUGHOUT THE 1860s
AND '70s.
VOTERS WERE INTIMIDATED
AT THE POLLS.
SO JOHN LEWIS'S ANCESTOR
EXPERIENCED
AN UNPRECEDENTED DEGREE OF
FREEDOM FOR MAYBE 10 YEARS,
AND THEN IT
ALL DISAPPEARED.
YES, IT ALL DISAPPEARS.
ONLY TO BE BROUGHT BACK
BY JOHN LEWIS.
YES, TO BE BROUGHT BACK BYJOHN LEWIS AND PEOPLE LIKE HIM
WHO GOT BEATEN AND SOME
OF THEM GOT KILLED,
IN ORDER THAT WE CAN VOTETODAY AS EQUAL CITIZENS.
[ SIREN WAILS ]
[ SCREAMING, SHOUTING ]
[ GUNFIRE ]
Gates: MARCH 7, 1965.
WOULD YOU PLEASE TAKE ME
THROUGH
THAT TERRIBLE DAY IN SELMA?
Lewis: THAT SUNDAY AFTERNOON,
WE LINED UP IN TWOS,
TO WALK IN A PEACEFUL,
NONVIOLENT FASHION
FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY.
Lewis: WE'RE MARCHING TODAY
TO DRAMATIZE TO THE NATION
AND DRAMATIZE TO THE WORLD
THE HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF
NEGRO CITIZENS OF ALABAMA,
BUT PARTICULARLY HERE
IN THE BLACK BELT AREA,
DENIED THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
WE INTEND TO MARCH
TO MONTGOMERY
TO PRESENT SAID GRIEVANCE
TO GOVERNOR GEORGE C. WALLACE.
Lewis:
I WAS WEARING A BACKPACK.
IN THIS BACKPACK,
I HAD TWO BOOKS.
I HAD AN APPLE
AND I HAD AN ORANGE
AND TOOTHPASTE
AND TOOTHBRUSH.
I THOUGHT THAT WE WERE
GOING TO BE ARRESTED
AND THAT WE WERE GOING
TO GO TO JAIL.
WE CAME TO THE HIGHEST POINT
ON THE BRIDGE.
DOWN BELOW WE SAW
A SEA OF BLUE.
ALABAMA STATE TROOPERS.
THE SHERIFF WAS NAMED
JIM CLARK.
HE WAS A VERY BIG MAN
AND HAD A LAPEL BUTTON
THAT SAID "NEVER."
HE SAID, "THIS IS
AN UNLAWFUL MARCH.
HE SAID, "THIS IS
AN UNLAWFUL MARCH.
IT WILL NOT BE ALLOWED
TO CONTINUE.
I GIVE YOU THREE MINUTES
TO DISPERSE
AND RETURN TO YOUR CHURCH."
AND HOSEA WILLIAMS FROM
DR. KING'S ORGANIZATION
SPOKE UP AND SAID, "GIVE US
A MOMENT TO KNEEL AND PRAY."
AND THE MAJOR SAID,
"TROOPERS, ADVANCE."
Major: ADVANCE TOWARD
THE GATE.
SEE THAT THEY DISPERSE.
[ SCREAMING ]
Gates: THE IMAGES CAPTURED
THAT DAY IN SELMA
ARE SEARED ONTO
OUR NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS.
[ WHISTLE BLOWS ]
AND AS WE LOOK AT THEM TODAY,
IT SEEMS UNBELIEVABLE
THAT THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN
RIGHT TO VOTE
COULD HAVE POSED
SUCH A PROFOUND THREAT
AS TO INCITE
THIS KIND OF VIOLENCE.
Lewis: THE VOTE IS THE MOST
POWERFUL INSTRUMENT.
MOST POWERFUL NONVIOLENT TOOL
IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.
AND KNOWING THAT A MEMBER
OF MY FAMILY
REGISTERED
AND VOTED IN ALABAMA,
A HUNDRED YEARS
BEFORE I DID,
BEFORE MY MOTHER, MY FATHER,
MY GRANDPARENTS.
IT'S AMAZING.
SO MAYBE, JUST MAYBE,
IT...
IT'S PART OF MY DNA,
MY BLOODLINE OR WHATEVER
YOU WANT TO CALL IT.
WHO WOULD HAVE BELIEVEDTHAT YOUR ANCESTOR WAS
ONE OF THE PIONEERING PEOPLE
WHO VOTED
IN THE STATE OF ALABAMAAMONG THE FORMER SLAVES?
THIS IS INCREDIBLE.
THIS IS TOO MUCH.
YOU ARE IN THIS.
YEAH, I'M RIGHT...
YOU SEE, ALL THE WAY OVER,
IN THE LIGHT TRENCH COAT,
THAT'S ME.
THAT'S YOU, LITERALLY,
IN THE FRONT.
THAT IS INCREDIBLE.
Booker:
WHEN YOU SEE PEOPLE LIKE HIM,
YOU KNOW THAT HE NOT ONLY
CLEARED A PATH FOR ME,
YOU KNOW THAT HE NOT ONLY
CLEARED A PATH FOR ME,
HE PAVED IT, HE PUT
WHITE LINES ON IT,
HE PUT SOME LIGHTS SO I COULD
SEE MY WAY.
Gates: YOU'VE SEEN
SO MUCH HISTORY MADE
AND ARE A HISTORY MAKER.
JUST AS CORY RECOGNIZES
THE DEBT HE OWES
TO MEN LIKE JOHN LEWIS,
JOHN HIMSELF KNOWS THAT HE
WALKS A PATH
LAID BY HIS ANCESTORS.
Lewis: WE ALL COME FROM
SOMEPLACE.
WE HAVE SOME CONNECTION,
SOME EXISTENCE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW IT.
SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE
YOU'RE ON THIS LITTLE PIECE OF
REAL ESTATE,
ON THIS LITTLE PLANET,
ALONE.
BUT YOU'RE NOT.
THERE'S A CONNECTION.
THIS IS SO MEANINGFUL.
THIS IS SO UNREAL,
UNBELIEVABLE.
I WISH IT WAS POSSIBLE
FOR EVERY PERSON
TO KNOW THIS
OF HIM OR HERSELF.
COME FROM PEOPLE,
MY BROTHER.
AMEN.
AND PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T
LOOK LIKE EACH OTHER.
NO.
NO. A LOT OF
AMAZING COMING TOGETHER
OF DIFFERENT STORIES.
ALL DIFFERENT ASPECTS
OF THIS COUNTRY,
WHICH IS AMAZING TO ME.
IT MAKES ME FEEL
THE COMPLICATED,
PAINFUL, AMAZING, WONDROUS
STORIES OF AMERICA,
HOW THEY ALL MIX UP TO
PRODUCE US.
AND YOU WEAR
THAT MIXING,
THAT DIVERSITY, ON YOUR FACE,
IN YOUR EYES.
JUST LOOK AT YOU.
YEAH.
A HISTORY OF PAIN,A HISTORY OF WONDER,
A HISTORY OF ENDURANCE,
RESILIENCY, OF LOVE.
THE HISTORY THAT WE SHARE
MAKES US WHO WE ARE
AND CONNECTS US
AS AMERICANS.
FROM THE BIG EVENTS
THAT SHAPED OUR NATION
TO THE SMALLEST DETAILS
OF OUR ANCESTORS' LIVES.
AS CONGRESSMAN LEWIS
REMINDED ME,
WHILE OUR ANCESTORS CAME TO
THIS LAND IN DIFFERENT SHIPS,
WE'RE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT NOW.
JOIN ME NEXT TIME
ON "FINDING YOUR ROOTS,"
AS I TRAVEL THROUGH
THE FAMILY HISTORIES
OF TWO MORE
EXTRAORDINARY AMERICANS.
NEXT TIME
ON "FINDING YOUR ROOTS"...
LEARN HOW TO CONDUCT
GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH,
SHARE YOUR OWN
FAMILY HISTORY,
AND WATCH COMPLETE EPISODES
ONLINE
AT pbs.org.
"FINDING YOUR ROOTS"
IS AVAILABLE
ON A 3-DVD SET FOR $39.99,
PLUS SHIPPING.
TO ORDER, CALL...
