Don Lemon Meets His Enslaved Ancestors

Sdílet
Vložit
  • čas přidán 24. 08. 2024
  • In this clip, Don Lemon is brought to tears upon meeting his enslaved ancestors.
    #FindingYourRoots airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on PBS. In the April 20th episode, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. examines how journalists Gretchen Carlson and Don Lemon were able to overcome biases in their careers, drawing parallels to relatives who met profound challenges of their own.

Komentáře • 139

  • @veronicadabney1466
    @veronicadabney1466 Před 2 lety +204

    There are people in this country who don't want this history to be taught because it will make their children "feel bad". I wonder if they ever consider how the people "feel" who KNOW their ancestors went through this trauma. Their work helped make this the richest country in the history of the planet, and yet some people don't want to acknowledge their contributions and their PAIN, because it will "hurt Their FEELINGS"!!!

    • @GaelinW
      @GaelinW Před 2 lety +19

      It should hurt their feelings. Not out of guilt, but from empathy. It's only when you can empathize with someone else that you can see them as you see yourself. That's why people don't want it taught. They don't want us to see each other as human. It's easier to hate and be at odds with those you don't understand or empathize with. If we don't know each other's stories, then we will believe whatever they tell us. Which are usually things - true or false - to further their agenda.

    • @user-zq4fv8sj6v
      @user-zq4fv8sj6v Před rokem +2

      The WHOLE history is what you mean.
      Americans remain uneducated on where the term Slave originated and which peoples were first enslaved and by whom.

    • @goatlandia8457
      @goatlandia8457 Před rokem +1

      Imagine being descendants of African kings who sold millions of their own people to be slaves in other countries. I’d imagine you have no idea this happened.

    • @limonesycafe8898
      @limonesycafe8898 Před rokem

      ​@@goatlandia8457 Imagine if modern people of the Americas stopped revising our history based on the construct of race. I mean what does that matter when European slave holders (Native ones as well) in the Americas had sex with enslaved women, maintained their offspring in an enslaved status, and sold them in markets in the Americas?

    • @viviancovington7813
      @viviancovington7813 Před rokem

      Amen

  • @kashiaroundtheworld
    @kashiaroundtheworld Před 2 lety +53

    1:08 when he realised his family were "valued" at $1800 shit got real. His anger and tears are so appropriate 😭

    • @dialikadiane6920
      @dialikadiane6920 Před 2 lety +4

      I know this is so sad! Pfff how could they even put a price on human beings! They were so heartless!!!

    • @kauztekgaming
      @kauztekgaming Před rokem +2

      It's like a trillion dollars in today's economy

    • @kalipw0210
      @kalipw0210 Před rokem +4

      He sold himself for far more.

    • @kokoajay5540
      @kokoajay5540 Před rokem +2

      People forget to redo currency for today

    • @tam504
      @tam504 Před 10 měsíci +2

      $1800 is worth around $43000 so they valued quite high.

  • @gloriouslove9009
    @gloriouslove9009 Před 2 lety +68

    This has a profound impact on you. When I found my second great grandfather listed by name as a slave on a census register it hit me like a brick. It’s something to be said seeing it with your own eyes.

  • @patrickbelvin7625
    @patrickbelvin7625 Před 2 lety +17

    Veronica makes an excellent point. I can't imagine the pain and despair Africans felt when they were shipped across the Atlantic, having to endure that entire transport, never to see their family members again. Hurt feelings? Please!

  • @yvonnehill5613
    @yvonnehill5613 Před 2 lety +14

    It's so emotionally to hear about Don Lemon's ancestors. It's amazing how the people of the past are still a part of us.

    • @beyourself2444
      @beyourself2444 Před rokem

      Of course, we carry their DNA so of course they live within us

  • @mmacrini
    @mmacrini Před 3 lety +42

    So very moving. Such important knowledge.

  • @martinobrien7110
    @martinobrien7110 Před 2 lety +58

    I am as stunned as Don . How human beings can be treated as
    property still baffles me . Why didn't someone end this madness sooner ?

    • @llittle139
      @llittle139 Před 2 lety +9

      Believe it or not slavery still exists

    • @superrdrdrdrd
      @superrdrdrdrd Před 2 lety +2

      @@llittle139 their value on that ledger was $1800.00, that is over $60,000. in todays dollar, (ckeck it out), they were a VALUABLE asset- wrong as it was, they weren't always beaten like it is portrayed,

    • @Aidan_ODonnell
      @Aidan_ODonnell Před 2 lety +15

      @@superrdrdrdrd dude what? 60,000 for a human life is fucking pitiful. and regardless of whether or not they were beaten, the sole fact remains that they were SLAVES. they were literally considered 3/5 of a human at the time and even then that was only because the pieces of shit who owned them wanted more political power.

    • @superrdrdrdrd
      @superrdrdrdrd Před 2 lety

      Not for trade, I mean portrayed

    • @trufflesrheaven
      @trufflesrheaven Před 2 lety +16

      @@superrdrdrdrd Are you saying that IF a slave wasn't beaten, then they were happy? They were OBJECTS...not humans. Most slaves were beaten, if the owner wasn't happy, for little things. So, stop justifying slavery. How would you feel if races were reversed, and you were owned by a black owner? You'd be singing a different tune. You obviously, don't value all races. You need to learn empathy, sympathy and compassion. Grow a heart..

  • @angelasuggs2040
    @angelasuggs2040 Před 2 lety +16

    I understand the tears. I have been working on my own family’s genealogy.

  • @gloriouslove9009
    @gloriouslove9009 Před 2 lety +14

    This made me cry 😢

  • @chrisP989
    @chrisP989 Před 2 lety +11

    "That's their worth?"
    Ugh! 💔

  • @TheProhetess
    @TheProhetess Před rokem +2

    One of the very best and fascinating PBS programs, I am wondering about my roots...

  • @lisadiconti
    @lisadiconti Před rokem +2

    I can understand how difficult this would be to hear.

  • @KSUgrad79
    @KSUgrad79 Před 3 lety +11

    Dr. Gates, you MUST do my cousin Roger next: I’m white. He’s black. Old family legend had it that his great-great grandfather John married a slave woman, Elizabeth, maiden name unknown ...but...we don’t know. She’s listed as “mulatto” in South Carolina census records, but...we can find no marriage records in any Charleston, SC records. Elizabeth was black, John was white, it was in the 1840s...so...maybe they weren’t ABLE to be married due to their races? John died young of TB, we don’t know his birth date or place, but...we DO know about his brother Sully, MY great-Great grandfather. Roger and I have been in regular touch, and his name is actor and director Roger Guenveur Smith, who has starred in Spike Lee films. Roger is dying to know more about HIS genealogy, so you ought to contact him! His great-great grandparents are a huge mystery to us BOTH! 😲

  • @user-xr3gg9qy8z
    @user-xr3gg9qy8z Před rokem +3

    How can you put a price tag on human beings????

    • @zachmoyer1849
      @zachmoyer1849 Před 6 měsíci

      we do it everyday even working for an hourly rate is putting a price on your life the average person in the US earns around a million dollars in their lifetime

  • @Nocomment1
    @Nocomment1 Před 3 lety +53

    Why is this show so hard to find? I love it but I wish it was somewhere else other than Amazon prime.

    • @crabbyoldman1022
      @crabbyoldman1022 Před 3 lety +19

      It’s on PBS and also the PBS app.

    • @Nocomment1
      @Nocomment1 Před 3 lety +10

      @@crabbyoldman1022 I could have sworn I checked PBS app. Thanks, I found it😊

    • @crabbyoldman1022
      @crabbyoldman1022 Před 3 lety +12

      @@Nocomment1 it’s my favorite show and I wouldn’t want anyone to miss out on it. You’re welcome.

    • @LilliLamour
      @LilliLamour Před 3 lety +1

      You can also purchase the shows through CZcams

    • @CaptchaNeon
      @CaptchaNeon Před 2 lety

      @@crabbyoldman1022 I couldn’t find it for free on PBS. All I found is a charge to watch PBS shows

  • @alecbrown66
    @alecbrown66 Před rokem +3

    Don Lemon puts humanity in to history for all

  • @nysunra
    @nysunra Před 11 měsíci +1

    I think about this daily. I have my families records. It's motivation to keep going, to survive an alien terrorist invasion we had to have been superior in spirit. This was just a moment, not the beginning and not the last. Blessings to his ancestors!

  • @marylamb7707
    @marylamb7707 Před 3 lety +6

    More tears😭😭😭😭😭😭

  • @nnayram64
    @nnayram64 Před rokem +3

    💔

  • @LoverzzFrandzz
    @LoverzzFrandzz Před rokem +1

    I'm crying

  • @jds0084
    @jds0084 Před 3 lety +39

    An entire family was valued at $1800. Wow!!! 😥

    • @keithmccrary325
      @keithmccrary325 Před 3 lety +6

      $59,640.59 today

    • @BarLadyy
      @BarLadyy Před 3 lety +3

      It’s breathtaking in a bad way….

    • @keithmccrary325
      @keithmccrary325 Před 2 lety

      @LaylaBAE ♡ it means that only the wealthy could have slaves. you obviously need to do some simple research.

    • @truckerdon4789
      @truckerdon4789 Před 2 lety +3

      @@keithmccrary325 who cares only the wealthy only owns slaves still dehumanizing and sick that's why I doesn't do a ancestors background it's pointless especially (black Americans) of course it reveals our enslaved ancestors but i rather do Geneology before European invasion like how they really lived what language they spoke besides this united states was built on my ancestors backs blood,sweat and tears and the wealth came from free labor but my ancestors did wonders things around the world as well I learn something new everyday.

    • @IzzieIslandheart
      @IzzieIslandheart Před 2 lety +2

      @@keithmccrary325 There are cars worth more than that. Putting monetary value on humans is absurd to begin with, but valuing a whole family less than a vehicle is obscene.

  • @Sunshine-un5ww
    @Sunshine-un5ww Před rokem +1

    People have a right to know about their ancestors and the history of their families. History needs to be taught in a humane way thats shows its relevancy to everyone.

  • @kwilcox1126
    @kwilcox1126 Před rokem +3

    This is amazing but it pisses me off. My people treated like property and sold for chump change

  • @mayaozen3582
    @mayaozen3582 Před 6 měsíci

    - $1,800 in 1700 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $134,668.98 today

  • @dreamcatcher5502
    @dreamcatcher5502 Před 2 lety +4

    Love you Don 😘❤

  • @KraziVokalz
    @KraziVokalz Před 10 měsíci

    That's where I came from......$1800 ... That hits hard

    • @zachmoyer1849
      @zachmoyer1849 Před 6 měsíci

      im not saying it makes it any better or anything and they dont give a year in this clip but that was probably equivalent to over 100k in todays money

  • @nagibsaleh6898
    @nagibsaleh6898 Před 2 lety +2

    It may not be so easy but people most go on with their lives go forward don't go back

  • @shadow_hillsgrandma8224

    1,800.? ☹️

  • @kashiaroundtheworld
    @kashiaroundtheworld Před 2 lety +2

    Please do Joseph and Katherine Jackson! Such an incredible American family!

  • @marylamb7707
    @marylamb7707 Před 3 lety +3

    Know how many people can't find a past? Good or bad?

    • @kaprkapr
      @kaprkapr Před 9 měsíci

      I was adopted at birth in the 80s and when the adoption agency went out of business, they burnt all of the records. I have found two first cousins on 23 and me, but they were both adopted as well. These people must’ve been throwing babies around, like nothing.

  • @sinegugunyathi1312
    @sinegugunyathi1312 Před 2 lety +3

    You know I always thought that African Americans since you living the American dream you never care about where you come from, but listen to ancestry I change my mind, you want to know. From South Africa 👍🇿🇦

    • @sheltonmackey6449
      @sheltonmackey6449 Před 2 lety +7

      Were getting shot by the police for no reasons other than the color of skin. You Africans think were living the American Dream. Its been a nightmare for 400 years.

    • @Notmello-g9lol
      @Notmello-g9lol Před 2 lety +3

      @@sheltonmackey6449 No, Shelton. I'm South African and I know better. I have AA friends. This person may be really young, so is falling for the propaganda, Hollywood and hip versions of what it means to be AA, can't speak for them. But trust me, Africans for DAMN sure don't think that...

    • @sinegugunyathi1312
      @sinegugunyathi1312 Před 2 lety

      Even here in South Africa racism still exists mostly in work places especially in farm workers, and it is sad because this are our parent who are being killed, I feel that racism will never end.😔

    • @teliciabrathwaite7607
      @teliciabrathwaite7607 Před 2 lety

      This is why Africans and African Americans can’t see eye to eye y’all don’t know shit about us over here and don’t try to know and judge us for what we’re estranged from

  • @nandofigueira2005
    @nandofigueira2005 Před 3 lety +2

    Horrible.

  • @jonam7589
    @jonam7589 Před rokem +3

    $1,800 then is like a million today! You have to be proud of who you have become! Even today there is a silent slavery in Saudi Arabia and the some rich Arab countries, but we don't hear about them! It's a shame!

  • @mamabearcake9542
    @mamabearcake9542 Před 3 lety +1

    Check out dons discussion with Morgan freeman

  • @mauricebryant6101
    @mauricebryant6101 Před 2 lety

    They don't wanna teach this because it will show not all was slaves

  • @patrickgreen7308
    @patrickgreen7308 Před rokem

    $1800 was a lot.of money back then.
    My family never had $1800 dollars.
    We were to poor.
    Just working the farm to feed themselves.
    We were serfs coming to america for a better life.
    We ALL have come a long way . All those worked had have done well in america
    God Bless ALL of us.

  • @kauztekgaming
    @kauztekgaming Před rokem

    Wonder if he reacts the same way to the other half of his family tree

  • @crocsonletsgo9665
    @crocsonletsgo9665 Před 3 lety +12

    I'M VIRTUE SIGNALING AS HARD AS I CAAAAAN!!!! haha

    • @stikupartist3698
      @stikupartist3698 Před 3 lety +2

      How do you virtue signal?

    • @lookingfortruth1930
      @lookingfortruth1930 Před 3 lety

      @@stikupartist3698 idk

    • @veronicadabney1466
      @veronicadabney1466 Před 2 lety +2

      It's not working. If you don't really care about these subjects then just stay out of the conversation. This means a lot to a Lot of people, and we don't need people like You here. In fact, why were you here in the first place? Are you a Racist?

  • @jerryrodriquez4595
    @jerryrodriquez4595 Před 3 lety +2

    They wasn't like you they were smart Righteous people God loveing people

  • @kalipw0210
    @kalipw0210 Před rokem

    He sold himself for a much higher price.

  • @jeffs-reviews
    @jeffs-reviews Před 3 lety +1

    So did he use a time machine or what?

  • @solaraq4753
    @solaraq4753 Před rokem

    African chiefs sold Don’s people though, keeping the money, Africa should pay black Americans reparations 😅. And those fake tears 😮😂

    • @kaprkapr
      @kaprkapr Před 9 měsíci +3

      I know it’s a tough concept for people to understand, but slavery is not slavery is not slavery. American slavery in the south, was absolutely brutal, and was in effect genocidal. If you go look at the way, slaves were treated in Africa, or ancient Rome or ancient Greece, you will see that it is not all alike. The tribes that were selling other tribal members certainly didn’t expect them to be treated the way they were.

  • @gtop2979
    @gtop2979 Před 2 lety

    Gtreat; now he can get reparations from the Chiefs in Africa who saw his ancestors as a cash crop!!!!

    • @veronicadabney1466
      @veronicadabney1466 Před 2 lety

      And the slavecatchers and slave owners didn't make a DIME for 400 years? I guess the "Chiefs of Africa" PAID for the ships the English, Dutch, Portugese, French, Spaniards, etc. sailed to Africa in, coerced them to take these people off our hands and subject them to centuries of subjugation and torture? No, white people need to get over that LIE. Most historians say that the vast majority of slaves were captured in battles, or Kidnapped. The very few that were purchased from "Chiefs" were already prisoners and were sold as punishment.

  • @dougdenter
    @dougdenter Před 3 lety +7

    Fake,, tears.LOL

    • @veronicadabney1466
      @veronicadabney1466 Před 2 lety

      Were any of your relatives ever slaves, considered property and had a cash value on them; or were any of your ancestors ever murdered; or were any of your relatives ever raped; or were any of your relatives ever whipped until they bled for not producing enough work, or for minor "infractions"; or were any of your relatives ever kidnapped and taken from their homeland; or were any of your relatives ever snatched away from their children or their parents never to see them again; were any of your relatives ever made forcibly to work from sun up to sun down with NO pay; were any of your relatives ever in a situation where they woke up Every single day, with NO hope of Ever being free; were any of your relatives ever lynched for crimes they didn't commit,; have any of your relatives ever faced the terror of nightriders who torched their home with their whole family in it, and/or their business out of pure hatred, and get away with it almost 100% of the time?? Wouldn't you shed a few tears, if not for your relatives, but for the realization that Only by the Grace of God was I not born in that era, And we are Still going through it now because of people like YOU, who don't understand, because apparently they have NO feelings whatsoever for their Own families and their ancestors.

    • @solaraq4753
      @solaraq4753 Před rokem

      True

    • @carlcunningham294
      @carlcunningham294 Před rokem +1

      How do you know?

  • @edwardjones815
    @edwardjones815 Před 3 lety +1

    Hope CNN goes down the Toilet.

  • @jamesmuhoozi5812
    @jamesmuhoozi5812 Před 2 lety

    I didn't know gays also have emotions

    • @veronicadabney1466
      @veronicadabney1466 Před 2 lety +3

      I've always found gay people to be very emotional, mainly because of THE WAY THEY ARE TREATED. Think about that.

    • @tasibho
      @tasibho Před 2 lety +7

      This show is literally about the systemic cruelty that humans did to each other, and common humanity we all have. And you still find a way to be hateful. How disappointing.

    • @oneplumpboi5317
      @oneplumpboi5317 Před 2 lety +1

      Don't worry, white people didn't know that black people had emotions back in the 1800's. I think your ancestors are calling you.

    • @jamesmuhoozi5812
      @jamesmuhoozi5812 Před 2 lety

      @@oneplumpboi5317 Are u trying to compare gays to human beings?

    • @oneplumpboi5317
      @oneplumpboi5317 Před 2 lety

      @@jamesmuhoozi5812 Weird; I remember quite a few laws where they were considered "animals" and "property" but not humans.

  • @theoverdosebeat
    @theoverdosebeat Před 3 lety

    His people would of off'd themselves if they knew he'd be a battyfish