Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Henry Louis Gates Jr., a renowned professor and cultural critic from Harvard, and Robert P. George, a prestigious legal scholar at Princeton, share their powerful reflections on growing up in West Virginia. They explore themes of identity, resilience, and the importance of community while recounting personal stories that shaped their paths. From nostalgic fishing tales to discussions on educational inequalities and family legacies, their dialogue highlights how humble beginnings can inspire extraordinary futures.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. believes we must understand who we were in order to understand who we are. That goes for individuals, which is at the core of his PBS series Finding Your Roots, as well as society, which is the reason he made the new documentary series Making Black America. Marc talks with Professor Gates about the foundation of America, the progress that’s been made, and the inequality that remains, as well as the professor’s own unique upbringing that informs a lot of his thinking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this tribute to Marcyliena Morgan, a linguistic anthropologist and founding director of the Hip-Hop Archive at Harvard, she and scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. explore the origins and significance of archiving hip-hop culture. They discuss the importance of preserving artifacts like boomboxes and turntables while framing hip-hop as a vital art form deserving of academic study. The conversation highlights hip-hop's role as social commentary and its impact on community voices. Students share personal stories, showcasing the archive's emotional significance and its capacity to inspire future generations.