Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

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  • Emmy and Peabody Award-Winning Filmmaker, Literary Scholar, Journalist, Cultural Critic, and Institution Builder
  • New York Times Bestselling Author of Over 30 Books, including 'Stony the Road' and 'The Black Church'
  • Host, 'Finding Your Roots' on PBS
  • Alphonse Fletcher University Professor & Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research, Harvard University



Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, and journalist Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is an acclaimed cultural critic and institution builder. Professor Gates is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African Research at Harvard University. Among his dozens of books are the recent New York Times bestsellers Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow and The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song. He has also produced and hosted more than 20 documentary films, most recently PBS’ The Black Church and HBO’s Black Art: In the Absence of Light. His groundbreaking series on genealogy and genetics, Finding Your Roots, is now in its eighth season on PBS.

Professor Gates has received countless awards and honors, including a George Polk Award for his social commentary in The New York Times, a MacArthur Fellowship, the Chicago Tribune Literary Award for lifetime achievement, and the prestigious Gold Medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences, among many others. His filmmaking has received Emmy, Peabody, and NAACP Image Awards, as well as an Alfred I. duPont Columbia University Award. Professor Gates serves on the boards of many notable institutions, including: the New York Public Library, the Aspen Institute, the Brookings Institution, and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. A consummate scholar and esteemed public intellectual, Professor Gates is a highly sought-after keynote speaker for his riveting addresses to audiences of all kinds.

 

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Rave Reviews About Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Dr. Gates was outstanding. His speech was exactly what we were looking for. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed it. He was a delight to work with throughout the process as well.

Keynote - Black Writing Matters | LIVE from NYPL [57:01] - Get Sharable Link
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Finding Your Roots

Based on his groundbreaking PBS series of the same name, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shares insights from his influential series about genealogy, genetics, and history’s impact on our lives today. This keynote features a stunning visual presentation, including Professor Gates’ favorite moments from the s ...

Based on his groundbreaking PBS series of the same name, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. shares insights from his influential series about genealogy, genetics, and history’s impact on our lives today. This keynote features a stunning visual presentation, including Professor Gates’ favorite moments from the show, such as the memorable appears of the late Congressman John Lewis.

DEI from Reconstruction to Today

Cultural critic and esteemed literary scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the influences of the history of Reconstruction on today’s vital issues, showing how that vital period of history is a mirror for what is happening in politics and society today. Professor Gates illuminates the historical im ...

Cultural critic and esteemed literary scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. traces the influences of the history of Reconstruction on today’s vital issues, showing how that vital period of history is a mirror for what is happening in politics and society today. Professor Gates illuminates the historical impact in our current conversations about voter suppression, the rise of racist rhetoric, and increasing bipartisanship, and offers insights about the ongoing challenges as well as opportunities facing us today.

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Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director of the Hutchins Center for African & African Research at Harvard University. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and institution builder, Professor Gates’s most recent books are Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy, and the Rise of Jim Crow and The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song. He has also produced and hosted more than 20 documentary films, most recently The Black Church on PBS and Black Art: In the Absence of Light for HBO. Finding Your Roots, his groundbreaking genealogy and genetics series, is now in its eighth season on PBS.