Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. One of the most influential scholars in the field of African American Studies, he is the author of Finding Oprah’s Roots, Finding Your Own (Crown, 2007). His PBS documentaries on African American history have been seen by millions of viewers, and he is the recipient of nearly fifty honorary degrees and numerous awards, including the MacArthur “genius grant.”