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Artistic Roots

Season 12 Episode 8 | 52m 09s

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the roots of filmmaker Spike Lee and Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth, uncovering ancestors who made bold decisions to lay the groundwork for their success. Moving from the Texas frontier to World War One battlefields to plantations in the old South, Gates introduces his guests to the women and men who used their creativity to build a future for their families.

Aired: 02/23/26 | Expires: 03/26/26
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
Promo: 250 Years of Americana
The beloved Mystery! series will debut its last season starting on Sunday, June 14, 2026 at 9/8c.
Saddle up to ride the high country in California with a program to save wild mustangs.
Travel back in time in efforts to save the tall grass prairie in Kansas.
A look back at a California winery dedicated to sustainable growing.
We’ll introduce you to a South Dakota farm family using technology to bring wheat to your table.
Explore the life and legacy of notable Black scholar and civil rights pioneer W.E.B. Du Bois.
See how a Wisconsin dairy farm turns cow manure into an energy source.
Travel to Nebraska where artists find rural life peaceful and inspiring to their creative work.
Discover how Farm Stay vacations are giving city kids a chance to discover rural America.
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Family mysteries are solved for actor Laurence Fishburne & scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr.