Henry Louis Gates Jr., the renowned historian, author, teacher, and genealogist met with the three survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre last week and pledged to trace their family trees on his popular PBS show, Finding Your Roots.

According to the Oklahoma Eagle, Gates’ meeting with Viola Ford Fletcher, 107, Hughes Van Ellis, 101, and Lessie Benningfield Randle, 107 came during a visit in Tulsa on April 8.

Gates would visit other landmarks in the city and offered insights into his impactful work in genealogy. He also stressed the importance of tracing one’s roots.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr. comes with instant credibility.

Gates, a top American intellectual, is a professor of African American Studies and director of the Hutchins Center for African & African American Research at Harvard University, author of 21 books, recipient of 50 honorary degrees, and creator of over 15 documentary films.

You can read more in an article written by Ezekiel J. Walker and published in the Black Wall Street Times web site at: https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/04/19/henry-louis-gates-jr-to-trace-family-lineage-of-tulsa-massacre-survivors/.