Prof. Gates Encourages Families to Learn About Their Ancestry, in Connection with AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2
Prof. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. will act as a PBS Parents Guest Expert during February in connection with the broadcast of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 on PBS. Prof. Gates will offer suggestions for how parents and caregivers can introduce family history and a love of ancestry to children.
"When kids research their family histories they are doing so much more than just finding out who they are related to. It's a great way to connect to family, particularly grandparents. Listening to their grandparents' stories about life long ago teaches kids about history in a very personal way and helps them see how they fit in. This is the best kind of hands-on learning," said Jean Crawford, Director, PBS Parents.
PBS PARENTS EXPERT Q&A
This monthly feature provides site visitors with a forum where they can ask questions and share their advice and opinions on a wide range of topics, from raising boys, children's friendships and learning disabilities, to school readiness, dealing with anger and Internet safety. In addition to experts in child development and early learning, site visitors can interact with the creators of PBS KIDS shows.
BIO
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is a literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, and public intellectual. Gates currently serves as the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, where he is Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research.
PBS Parents Expert Q&A -
http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/
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ABOUT "AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2"
The critically acclaimed PBS broadcasts AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006) and OPRAH'S ROOTS (2007) shined a national spotlight on the powerful process of discovering one's family history. In February 2008 on PBS, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. will guide an all-new group - poet Maya Angelou, actor Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, radio host Tom Joyner and rock 'n' roll legend Tina Turner - on a journey to discover their ancestry in AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2. The new four-part series will draw on DNA analysis, genealogical research and family oral tradition to trace the lineages of the participants down through U.S. history and back to Africa.
In a unique twist to AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2, one ordinary individual, selected from more than 2,000 applicants, will join Professor Gates and this distinguished group on the life-changing quest for their roots.
About PBS PARENTS
PBS PARENTS http://www.pbsparents.org is a powerful online tool that supports parents and other caregivers as they prepare children for success in school and in life, addressing the important aspects of a child's early years, from social and emotional development to the educational skills needed to learn. Named a winner of the 2006 Parent's Choice Gold Award, PBS PARENTS provides resources and details about PBS KIDS programs, including curriculum goals, co-viewing tips, and activities to entertain and educate when the TV is turned off.
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CONTACTS:
Jeannine Harvey, PBS PARENTS, 703.739.8134 /
jharvey@pbs.org
Kevin Dando, PBS PARENTS, 703.739.5073 /
kdando@pbs.org
www.PBS.ORG/PRESSROOM