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Lena Dunham Uncovers Her Ancestor's Complex Legacy

Season 10 Episode 9 | 5m 08s

We trace Lena Dunham's ancestry back to her paternal eighth great-grandfather, Stephanus van Cortlandt, a pivotal figure in the early history of New York City. Stephanus's life story unfolds as one of ambition, becoming the first native-born Mayor of New York. But Lena confronts the more troubling aspects of his legacy, including his dealings with the Lenape tribe and his involvement in slavery.

Corporate support for Season 11 of FINDING YOUR ROOTS WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. is provided by Gilead Sciences, Inc., Ancestry® and Johnson & Johnson. Major support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Support is also provided by Ford Foundation; Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; Candace King Weir; by the Inkwell Society together with many of its members; and by public television viewers.
Extras
It's the finale and two rounds of cooking remain before one of the finalists gets named the winner.
O imagines that he can go see all types of fairytale bathrooms!
Sienna goes to a festival with her family and learns to use the potty at a public event!
A song about how if you need to go potty someplace new, you can use a different bathroom.
Daniel learns all about how he can use the bathroom at the train station.
Jodi is at the neighborhood concert and learns how she can use an outdoor bathroom there!
A song about how if something seems hard to do, you can try it a little bit at a time.
When Daniel wants to color a big box, he remembers he can do it a little bit at a time.
Meera goes swimming with her dad and she even swims to the end of the pool all by herself!
When Miss Elaina wants to swim far, she takes breaks and swims a little bit at a time.
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Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. reveals inspiring ancestors of novelist Amy Tan & poet Rita Dove.
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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. connects Lea Salonga & Amanda Seyfried to their dramatic ancestors.