The airing of the miniseries also encouraged many across racial lines to have open dialogues about slavery. Before Roots, the only dramatic depiction of slavery on television had been The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, starring Cicely Tyson. Not only did it depict the brutalities of slavery, but it also told the story of one family’s lineage in the United States. Airing over eight separate nights on ABC in Jan 1977, Roots was a groundbreaking miniseries. However, one depiction of slavery that has been generally well-received and been able to stand the test of time is Roots: The Saga of An American Family.Īdapted from Alex Haley’s 1976 novel of the same name, Roots traces a fictional version of Haley’s maternal side of his family from his great-great-great-grandfather Kunta Kinte’s capture in The Gambia to his time enslaved in America, and the lives of his descendants who were enslaved and those freed at the end of the Civil War. While some of the films have been well received by audiences and critics, like 2013’s 12 Years a Slave, films like last year’s Harriet have received mixed reviews. Over the past decade, moviegoers have been presented with multiple offerings of films depicting the brutality of slavery. On the anniversary of the miniseries’ premiere, we reflect on the impact of the series. It’s been more than four decades since Roots aired on national television and changed the game for portrayals of Black history on screen.
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