For more information:
Teri L. Sullivan
WKNO Promotions Manager
(901) 325-6518
tlsullivan@wkno.org
January 15, 2008
For Immediate Release
More than 11 million people across the country tuned in to the landmark public television series African American Lives, when it premiered in 2006. The series, hosted by renowned scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., traced the ancestry through American history and back to Africa of eight accomplished African Americans using genealogy and DNA science.
Since that series and the 2007 follow-up special centered on the research of Oprah Winfrey’s ancestry aired, Gates has been deluged with requests from viewers wanting to know how they too can use genealogy and genetics to learn about their family history.
In anticipation of the premiere of African American Lives 2 on February 6, 2008, Gates sent each public television station a DNA kit to help trace one selected subject’s ancestry. The genetic research is designed to trace the lineage on the subject’s maternal side. WKNO selected WKNO Membership Coordinator Mildred Holt to receive the kit, sent courtesy of AfricanDNA.com.
Mildred, whose mother’s family is from Clarksdale, Mississippi, was born and raised in Memphis, TN. She has worked for WKNO for more than twelve years. Her mother’s family name is Micenhamer, which her grandmother believes to be German. Mildred, like many others, watched the first African American Lives and found the studies of African origins to be “fascinating.” She knows very little about her family ancestry except that her grandmother insists her mother (Mildred’s great-grandmother) was a Native American.
When Mildred received the kit, she was “thrilled.” She said that she never would have thought to seek her African origins otherwise. Mildred is excited about the prospect to learn more about her family and possibly discover from which African country her matrilineal line originates. She is also hopeful that the results of the test will enable her to begin more research on her genealogy and meet other distant relatives. The AfricanDNA program also features a database and will offer Mildred the opportunity to connect with others who share her lineage.
Many genealogy researchers rely on a “paper trail” through history to trace their ancestors. For African Americans, the trail often goes cold when attempting to identify ancestor’s names or origins before the ancestors’ arrival in America. The science used in DNA studies enables many to trace the lineage through mothers using biology.
In the DNA kit that Mildred received were two swabs and vials. Holt took two samples from the inside of her mouth and returned them to AfricanDNA. She has received confirmation on the receipt of her samples and can watch the progress of the procedure on a special password-protected web site.
African American Lives 2 will again journey deep into the African-American experience to reveal the triumphs and tragedies within the family histories of an all-new group of remarkable participants. Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. returns as series host, guiding genealogical investigations down through the 20th century, Reconstruction, slavery and early U.S. history, and presenting cutting-edge genetic analysis that locates participants’ ancestors in Africa, Europe and America. Some of the notable subjects this time are actor Morgan Freeman, legendary performer Tina Turner, comedian/actor Chris Rock; actor Don Cheadle, and more.
African American Lives 2, sponsored locally by Lane College, will air Wednesdays, February 6 and 13 from 8:00 – 10:00 p.m. on WKNO/Channel 10 and WKNO-HD. It will encore on Thursdays, February 7 and 14 at 8:00 p.m. on WKNO2.
WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 50 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain, and inspire.
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