Coming to PBS in February 2008, Henry Louis Gates Jr. Takes an All-New Group of African Americans on a Quest to Discover Their Roots in African American Lives 2

- Maya Angelou, Dave Chappelle, Morgan Freeman, Peter Gomes, Linda Johnson

Rice, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Tom Joyner and Tina Turner Are Among the

Accomplished Group Participating in Sequel to Landmark PBS Series -

- The Coca-Cola Company, Johnson & Johnson and General Motors to Sponsor

Series, a Production of Thirteen/WNET New York, Kunhardt Productions and

Inkwell Films -

    BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- 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,
 comedian Dave Chappelle, 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.
     AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 is the centerpiece of a multifaceted project
 that will include a major new book written by Professor Gates and published
 by Crown, a division of Random House; a companion Web site; and teacher
 training and outreach events in seven key markets across the country.
     Major corporate funding for this new production and its outreach
 initiatives is provided by The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson.
 Additional funding is provided by General Motors. Funding is also provided
 by public television viewers and PBS.
     AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES 2 is a co-production of Thirteen/WNET New York,
 Kunhardt Productions and Inkwell Films. Graham Judd is series producer;
 Dyllan McGee is senior producer for Kunhardt Productions. Executive
 producers are Henry Louis Gates Jr., William R. Grant and Peter W.
 Kunhardt.
     About Thirteen/WNET New York
     Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public
 television, bringing such acclaimed series as NATURE, GREAT PERFORMANCES,
 AMERICAN MASTERS, CHARLIE ROSE, RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, EXPOSE:
 AMERICA'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS, WIDE ANGLE, SECRETS OF THE DEAD, NOW with
 David Brancaccio and CYBERCHASE -- as well as the work of Bill Moyers -- to
 audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York,
 New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers
 each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own
 local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen
 Walking Tours, New York Voices and Reel New York. Thirteen extends the
 impact of its television productions through educational and community
 outreach projects - - including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning --
 as well as Web sites and other digital media platforms. More information
 can be found at http://www.thirteen.org.
     About Kunhardt Productions
     For nearly 20 years, Kunhardt Productions has been responsible for
 critically acclaimed historical programming with a reputation for high
 editorial standards. Most recently, Kunhardt Productions co-produced
 OPRAH'S ROOTS (2007) and AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006) for PBS. Previously,
 the company produced FREEDOM: A HISTORY OF US, an eight-hour PBS series
 based upon Joy Hakim's award-winning books. Other notable works from
 Kunhardt Productions include "Lincoln," a four-hour series for ABC; "In
 Memoriam," a one-hour co-production with HBO about Mayor Rudolph Giuliani
 and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and THE AMERICAN
 PRESIDENT, a 10- hour PBS series profiling all forty-one presidents of the
 United States. Kunhardt Productions is currently developing a multi-part
 series for PBS, LOOKING FOR LINCOLN, to be broadcast in 2009 as part of the
 Bicentennial Celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birth. More information can
 be found at http://www.kunhardtproductions.com.
     About Inkwell Films
     Inkwell Films was founded by Henry Louis Gates Jr. to produce
 sophisticated documentary films about the African-American experience for a
 broad audience. In addition to OPRAH'S ROOTS, Inkwell Films co-produced
 AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006) and is currently developing THE HISTORY OF
 THE AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE, an eight-part series tentatively slated for
 national broadcast premiere in 2009-2010.
     CONTACTS: Donna Williams, Thirteen/WNET New York, 212/560-8030;
 williamsd@thirteen.org
     Gloria Park, Thirteen/WNET New York, 212/560-2063; parkg@thirteen.org
     Carrie Johnson, PBS, 703/739-5129; cjohnson@pbs.org
 
     http://www.pbs.org/pressroom
 
 

SOURCE PBS