Polk uncovered documents like the will of his ancestors’ slave owner – who granted freedom to Polk’s great, great, great grandmother Sarah Polk and her children upon his death. Not only did it spark a cultural revolution – with people purchasing Roots memorabilia, and even naming children after characters in the film - but it also spurred an interest in genealogy, especially among African Americans including Jordan and Polk wanting to dig into their own African ancestry.

This year, as part of Roots’ 40th anniversary, the History Channel is airing a 4-part re-make of Roots.Īfrican American Historian Kellie Carter Jackson recently shared a lecture at the Delaware Historical Society called Reconsidering Roots, also the title of a book she’ll be releasing in April.įor this month’s History Matters, produced in conjunction with the Delaware Historical Society, we offer pieces of that lecture along commentary from local genealogy researchers Shamele Jordan and Erwin Polk about the impact of Roots in 1977, and how it’s still relevant today. Roots was – and still is – about identity for many African Americans. It went on to become the most-watched series in TV history – with people across the country and around the world cancelling meetings and prior engagements to watch the story of Kunta Kinte from the comfort of their homes. Phase III, (the final phase) was dedicated in the Spring of 2002.On the night of January 23rd, 1977 – and for eight consecutive nights after – a TV mini-series based on the number 1 selling African American novel of all time – Roots – aired on ABC.

Phase II, the sculpture group, was unveiled and dedicated on December 9, 1999. It includes a ramp, foundation for the sculpture, and installation of a pedestal for the original commemorative bronze plaque dedicated to Kunta Kinte and his forefathers in 1981. Phase I of the Memorial construction was completed in 1997. The Memorial includes a sculpture group of a seated Alex Haley reading from a book on his lap to three children of different ethnic backgrounds.Īs he stretches his hand toward the Chesapeake Bay, he tells his family's story and the story of the Annapolis port, a symbolic Ellis Island for African Americans. It portrays in word and symbol Alex Haley's vision for national racial reconciliation and healing, and symbolizes in Kunta Kinte and his descendants the triumph of the human spirit in very difficult times. This Memorial is the only memorial in the United States that commemorates the actual name and place of arrival of an enslaved African.

It is located in Annapolis, Maryland at the head of the City's harbor. The Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial commemorates the place of arrival of Alex Haley's African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, to the New World, as told in the book Roots.

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