Rags to Riches

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. maps the roots of actor Kate Burton and media mogul Barry Diller--telling stories of sacrifice and exploring a profound question: what do we inherit from ancestors whose lives were far more challenging than our own?

For more than a decade, renowned Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has helped to expand America’s sense of itself, stimulating a national conversation about identity with humor, wisdom, and compassion. Professor Gates has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.