African American Lives

African American Lives with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Title card from the first season
Genre	Family history Genealogy Documentary Series
Written by	Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Directed by	Leslie D. Farrell Leslie Asako Gladsjo Graham Judd Jesse Sweet Jack Youngelson
Presented by	Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Composer(s)	Michael Bacon
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producer(s)	Henry Louis Gates, Jr. William R. Grant Peter W. Kunhardt
Producer(s)	Leslie D. Farrell Leslie Asako Gladsjo Graham Judd Jesse Sweet Jack Youngelson
Running time	55 minutes (roughly)
Production company(s)	Kunhardt Productions thirteen WNET Inkwell Films
Release
Original network	PBS
Original release	February 1, 2006 – February 13, 2008
Chronology
Followed by	Faces of America

African American Lives is a PBS television miniseries hosted by historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr., focusing on African-American genealogical research. The family histories of prominent African Americans are explored using traditional genealogic techniques as well as genetic analysis.

The first installment of the series aired in February 2006. The series featured research into the ancestral lineages of eight prominent African-American guests. By billing the guests were: music producer Quincy Jones, astronaut and physician Mae Jemison, comedian Chris Tucker, bishop T. D. Jakes, sociologist Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, actress Whoopi Goldberg, physician Ben Carson, and talk show host Oprah Winfrey. Writer, host, and executive producer of the series, Henry Louis Gates, also features his ancestral heritage on the show. The miniseries featured interviews with the parents and family members of guests including Winfrey's father, Vernon Winfrey. Geneticists Rick Kittles and Mark D. Shriver also make appearances.

The miniseries' four episodes were broadcast over two nights in two parts. On February 1, the first two episodes were broadcast as "Listening to our Past; The Promise of Freedom". The following week, on February 8, the third and fourth episodes aired as, "Searching for Our Names; Beyond the Middle Passage". Re-runs of the series as individual episodes were broadcast following the joint premier both nights. The miniseries was sponsored by Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble who both produced commercials honoring African-American heritage for use in the series.