Whenever the original "Roots" airs on television my family always gets excited. My parents reminisce about when it aired in the seventies and how they, and many other black teens, would go to school angry at their white counterparts. According to Atlanta Black Star, "Roots" was groundbreaking in 1977 because it gave a glimpse into what slavery was like in the U.S., when most Americans were oblivious to the details and were still adjusting to a post-Civil Rights reality — therefore, forever changing Americans’ perceptions of their own history.
It opened up old wounds and allowed America to see that slavery was even more disgusting than it previously realized. It made newly self-aware African Americans angry. “For a school of such diversity, the racial and cultural landscape was tranquil. But after a graphic scene on "Roots," the tension would ratchet up. Bad luck on those days if a white classmate fell out with a black one, for such encounters took on new ferocity. Everyone knew something about slavery, but it was different seeing the horrors made real on screen,” says Hugh Muir of The Guardian in this article. Hugh's story sounded very similar to my parent's story and made me wonder if everyone thought "Roots" is only about slavery.
Spoiler Alert: It's not.
"Roots" was as realistic as a series on slavery could be back in the '70s. It gave all Americans insight into that horrible time period. However, it wasn’t and still isn’t a series (or book) about slavery. It is a real story about a real American family. It is one man telling the story of his family, as far back and as deep as he could find them. This is something that the average black person is immensely troubled by because our history has been erased, or rather deemed not important enough to be kept. I personally have had trouble with this, finding little to no information on my family later than my maternal grandmother. Especially when many slaves and even their descendants after slavery weren't given birth certificates. People like Fredrick Douglas and George Washington Carver (learn more about these great men here and here) don't have exact birth dates with Douglas simply picking a day to celebrate his birthday. Many of us don’t know who we are, we don’t know the amazing story the blood in our veins could hold.
"Roots" is a visual reminder that one man found those stories. He found his family and reclaimed their name. In doing so he inspired the entire country. More than half the country and nearly 85% of television households watched just the series finale. Kizzy, Chicken George, Kunta Kinte; these are all household names with the former being especially remembered for having his name be literally beat out of him (watch the intense scene here). Because of Haley, and all of his effort to find his roots, they will all live on forever.
The remake of "Roots" premieres on Memorial Day. From the looks of the trailer, the incredible cast, and Levar Burton (the original Kunte Kinte) as producer, it looks very promising. I think everyone, white, black and brown, should gather with their family and watch the show. And, according to Baraba Maranzani's article on history.com, (check it out here) given that the original was an enormous success with more than 28 million viewers for the first episode and its finale holding the record for third most watched single episode of all time, you don’t want to be the only one whose not talking about the remake come Tuesday morning, or even Monday night on social media. Just watch the show. It’s a powerful reminder of the importance of a name and family, something every American can understand.
