The mini series also introduced the world to a then 19 year old College Sophomore named LeVar Burton, in his first television appearance as the African Kunta Kinte.
( An Officer and a Gentleman), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool) and Olivia Cole ( North and South). It showed white Americans what an injustice had been done to the Blacks and it gave Blacks a stronger voice and sense of identity.īesides a beautiful screenplay, Roots boasted a star-studded cast including Ed Anser ( Lou Grant), Lorne Greene ( Bonanza), Robert Reed ( Brady Bunch), John Amos ( Good Times), Marge Sinclair ( Coming To America), Ben Vereen ( All That Jazz), Louis Gossett Jr. It sparked a conversation during a time when the country was just coming down from decades of racial tension. It ran for twelve hours over 8 nights and brought in record ratings, some of which still hold to this day. Through several generations of slaves, we see their suffering, as they hear the story of their ancestor and his people in Africa.Įverything about Roots was epic. Enduring years of torture and the removal of half his foot, he never forgot his freedom and where he came from and passed that spirit on to generations of his offspring. Having just become a man in his culture, he was enjoying his new status when he suddenly was kidnapped by white men who sold him off to be taken to America and live as a slave to wealthy plantation owners. Kunta Kinta was a free, African man living with his family on the land near the Gambian river. And now, as the History Channel airs a retelling of Alex Haely's classic novel, Roots, the original has been remastered and released on Blu-ray. For almost forty years it meant courage, spirit and hope for an entire race of people. I had just turned six years old when Roots became a television event so, even though I had never seen it, I knew what that phrase meant.
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