The Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater reverently commemorates Black History Month with free weekly screenings of 1977’s eight-part landmark television miniseries, “Roots,” based on Alex Haley’s best-selling book, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family.”
Parts 1 & 2 show Thursday night at 7:30 with consecutive parts being shown every Thursday at the same time throughout the month of February.
“‘Roots’ is an epic story that spans over 100 years about a family that endures through slavery while trying to hold onto the fundamentals of their ancestry no matter the cost,” said Rachel Parker, a curatorial technician on the Packard Campus. “Despite its length, ‘Roots’ was chosen not only for its undeniable cultural impact but also for the rare opportunity for audience to see it in beautiful 35mm prints acquired as a gift from Warner Bros. in 2010.”
Eighty million people tuned in to watch when “Roots” premiered 35 years ago.
LeVar Burton starred as Kunta Kinte, kidnapped from his home in West Africa to be enslaved in America. In fact, he was later sold to a family in nearby Spotsylvania County, according to Haley’s book.
The award-winning cast of the Emmy Award-winning program included Ben Vereen, Lou Gossett Jr., John Amos, Leslie Uggams, Cicely Tyson and Ed Asner.
“It brought up a lot of stuff for people – “Roots” did,” Burton told Oprah during her recent ‘Roots’ reunion special.
In fact, after the excruciating scene aired in which Burton’s character was repeatedly whipped by order of an overseer played by the late Vic Morrow, ABC put both actors on a plane to New York for an interview on “Good Morning America” to clear the air, Burton told Oprah.
“So people could see we were actors. That there was no animosity,” he said.
Burton recalled that after they finished filming that particular scene, “People didn’t move for awhile.”
Oprah said the miniseries evoked such strong emotion and was so widely watched, “Because people felt for the first time it gave voice to that which had been suppressed for so long.”
Kunta Kinte, working on a Virginia plantation, struggles with his loss of freedom while teaching his daughter Kizzy (Leslie Uggams) about his homeland, noted Parker from the Packard Campus.
The miniseries followed generations through family separations, the Civil War and attacks from an early form of the KKK.
“‘Roots’ was a groundbreaking event that resonated with the public well beyond television, yet few people who were born since its premiere have ever seen the miniseries,” Parker said. “While the series is still spoken about with reverence, it is rarely screened.”
The miniseries offers a host of teachable moments — nationwide students at all grade levels were encouraged to watch — and it was especially noted for its forthright portrayal of slavery, added Parker.
“Through ‘Roots,’ African Americans have a visual link to their past and every viewer could gain a better understanding of the African American experience in shaping our country. ‘Roots’ also sparked an interest in genealogy, which prompted many other people to explore their own past,” she said.
The screening of “Roots” in its entirety will be the first multiple nights showing the Packard Campus has ever offered.
Actor John Amos, who played Kunta Kinte as an older adult, on the Oprah special, recalled a real-life experience following the filming of a scene in which the slave’s foot was cut off.
Amos said he was driving on the freeway when a fellow motorist, a black male, motioned for him to pull over. When Amos did, the man proceeded to tell him how he grabbed his pistol and shot the television during the scene.
“It did affect some people emotionally,” Amos said, noting America still has a long way to go in achieving equality. “We are incrementally, slowly, but surely inching toward what a true democracy should be. We have yet to reach that point where we can all say the pledge of allegiance and feel it the same way in our hearts.”
Mike Mashon, head of the moving images section on the Packard Campus, said “Roots” is one of the most interesting programs ever presented in the theater.
“I was a junior in high school when “Roots” premiered, and it truly resonated among my peers. Thirty-five years later the series retains its emotional power, and I hope families will bring their children to see it,” he said.
Want to watch?
The Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater on Mount Pony offers free screenings of the eight-part miniseries, “Roots” (ABC TV, 1977) starting with Parts 1 & 2 Thursday night at 7:30. Parts 3, 4 & 5 show next Thursday, Feb. 9, same time, followed by Parts 6 & 7 Feb. 16 and Part 8 on Feb. 23. The theater is located on Mount Pony at 19053 Mount Pony Road in Culpeper. Free. Call (202) 707-9994 or (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 to make reservations. Stand-bys are admitted to theater 10 minutes prior to showtime.
February schedule
Thursday – “Roots” Parts 1 & 2
Friday – “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” (RKO, 1939)
Saturday – “Swiss Family Robinson” (Disney, 1960), 2 p.m.
Feb. 9 – “Roots” Parts 3, 4 & 5
Feb. 10 – “Repulsion” (Compton Films, 1965) Rated R
Feb. 11 – SciFi Double Feature: “Escape From New York” (AVCO Embassy Pictures, 1981) and “The Thing” (Universal, 1982)
Feb. 16 – “Roots” Parts 6 & 7
Feb. 23 – “Roots” Part 8
Feb. 24 – Thomas Ince Silent Film Program “One a Minute” (Thomas H. Ince Corp., Paramount, 1921)
Black History Month: US Census
The modern observance of Black History Month in February began in Feb. 12, 1926 with Black History Week, created by American historian Carter G. Woodson. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the births of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, the week was expanded into a month as part of the nation’s bicentennial.
Following are facts and figures from the U.S. Census commemorating Black History Month:
>>42 million: number of people who identified as black, either alone or in combination with one or more other races, in the 2010 Census, accounting for 13.6 percent of the total U.S. population.
>>65.7 million: the projected black population of the U.S. in the year 2050.
>>3.3 million: the black population of New York, which led all states in 2010. The other nine states in the top 10 were Florida, Texas, Georgia, California, North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia and Ohio.
>>38 percent: percent of Mississippi’s total population that was black in 2010. Mississippi led the nation in this category followed by Louisiana (33 percent), Georgia (32 percent), Maryland (31 percent), South Carolina (29 percent) and Alabama (27 percent).
>>52 percent: percent of the total population in Washington, D.C. that was black in 2010.
>>2.2 million: people who identified as black in New York City, which led all places with populations of 100,000 or more followed by Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Houston, Memphis, Tenn., Baltimore, Los Angeles, Washington and Dallas.
>>84.3 percent: percent of the total population in Detroit who identified as black, the highest percentage nationally among places with populations of 100,000 or more followed by Jackson, Miss. (80.1 percent); Miami Gardens, Fla. (77.9 percent); Birmingham, Ala. (74 percent); Baltimore (65.1 percent); Memphis, Tenn. (64.1 percent); New Orleans (61.2 percent); Flint, Mich. (59.5 percent), Montgomery, Ala. (57.4 percent) and Savannah, Ga. (56.7 percent).
>>2.4 million: number of black military veterans in the U.S. in 2010
>>82 percent: among blacks 25 and older, the percentage with a high school diploma or higher in 2010
>>18 percent: percentage of blacks 25 and older who had a bachelor’s degree or higher in 2010
>>1.5 million: among blacks 25 and older, the number who had an advanced degree in 2010
>>2.9 million: number of blacks enrolled in college in 2010, a 1.7 million increase since 1990
>>11.1 million: the number of blacks (of one race) who voted in the 2010 congressional election
>>55 percent: turnout rate in the 2008 presidential election for the 18-to-24-year-old citizen black population, an 8 percent increase from 2004. Blacks had the highest turnout rate in this age group.
>>65 percent: turnout rate among blacks regardless of age in the 2008 presidential election, up about 5 percent from 2004.
>>$32,068: the annual median income of black households in 2010, a decline of 3.2 percent from 2009
>>27.4 percent: poverty rate in 2010 for blacks
>>62.5 percent: among households with a black householder, the percentage that contained a family. There were 9.4 million black family households.
>>44.4 percent: among families with black householders, the percentage that were married couples.
>>1.3 million: the number of black grandparents who lived with their own grandchildren younger than 18. Of this number, 47.6 percent were also responsible for their care.
>>44.2 percent: nationally, the percentage of households with a householder who was black who lived in owner-occupied homes.
>>28.4 percent: the percentage of blacks 16 and older who worked in management, business, science and arts occupations.
>>$135.7 billion: receipts for black-owned businesses in 2007, up 53.1 percent from 2002
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