Searching for Sally Hemings: A Conversation with Author Annette Gordon-Reed

 

Recent Episodes

Supported by:

Basic Black Live: Politics, Scandals, and Legacies

Basic Black Live: Politics, Scandals, and Legacies

Basic Black


May 17, 2013

In the headlines this week:  a discussion of the Boston mayor's race and how communities of color are poised to make their coalitions heard.  Also, this is not the first time the IRS has come under fire for targeting political activity; we'll take a look at the IRS, the NAACP and the black church.


Basic Black Live: Politics, Scandals, and Legacies

Basic Black Live: Politics, Scandals, and Legacies

Basic Black


May 17, 2013

In the headlines this week:  a discussion of the Boston mayor's race and how communities of color are poised to make their coalitions heard.  Also, this is not the first time the IRS has come under fire for targeting political activity; we'll take a look at the IRS, the NAACP and the black church.


Basic Black Live: What can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black Live: What can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black


May 10, 2013

Earlier this week, Charles Ramsey of Cleveland, Ohio rescued three women and a six year old who had been held captive by his neighbor for a decade.  But it was the interview Ramsey gave to a reporter on the scene that day that made him an internet sensation.  Within hours, he was trending on Twitter and the subject of numerous autotune creations.

But Ramsey's two minute interview (and the later released call he placed to 911) grew into a larger examination of race, class and the media.  The stories of the abducted women has rightfully taken center stage, but questions about Ramsey's introduction to the world media remain.  This week on Basic Black, what can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black Live: What can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black Live: What can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black


May 10, 2013

Earlier this week, Charles Ramsey of Cleveland, Ohio rescued three women and a six year old who had been held captive by his neighbor for a decade.  But it was the interview Ramsey gave to a reporter on the scene that day that made him an internet sensation.  Within hours, he was trending on Twitter and the subject of numerous autotune creations.

But Ramsey's two minute interview (and the later released call he placed to 911) grew into a larger examination of race, class and the media.  The stories of the abducted women has rightfully taken center stage, but questions about Ramsey's introduction to the world media remain.  This week on Basic Black, what can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black Live: What can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black Live: What can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black


May 10, 2013

Earlier this week, Charles Ramsey of Cleveland, Ohio rescued three women and a six year old who had been held captive by his neighbor for a decade.  But it was the interview Ramsey gave to a reporter on the scene that day that made him an internet sensation.  Within hours, he was trending on Twitter and the subject of numerous autotune creations.

But Ramsey's two minute interview (and the later released call he placed to 911) grew into a larger examination of race, class and the media.  The stories of the abducted women has rightfully taken center stage, but questions about Ramsey's introduction to the world media remain.  This week on Basic Black, what can we learn from Charles Ramsey?

Basic Black Live: History in the Headlines

Basic Black Live: History in the Headlines

Basic Black


May 3, 2013

Tonight on Basic Black history in the headlines: a report this week concluded that for the first time ever, black voter turnout surpassed that of white voters.  We'll look at the national and local implications.  And in sports, NBA player Jason Collins revealed he is gay; as the first professional athlete to do so, it's history, but is it news?



(Photo: Jason Collins.  Kwaku Alston for Sports Illustrated.)

Schedule

Sunday
5/19/13 5:30 AM
WGBH 2
Sunday
5/19/13 1:00 PM
WGBH 2
Friday
5/24/13 7:30 PM
WGBH 2
Saturday
5/25/13 8:00 AM
WGBH World
TBA TBA TBA TBA

Latest Comments


Related Content

(Originally broadcast January 8, 2009)  Before winning the MacArthur award, Professor Gordon-Reed sat down for a lengthy interview on Basic Black to discuss her book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family.

Professor and author Annette Gordon-Reed is best known for her 1997 book, Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy. In that examination of the 38-year liaison between the third president and his house slave, Gordon-Reed looked at how historians and biographers had disregarded evidence of the affair; DNA tests have since proved that Jefferson indeed fathered children with Hemings.

 

Gordon-Reed discusses her new book, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. Winner of the 2008 National Book Award for nonfiction, her return to the subject offers an exhaustive account of the Hemings family saga.

News updates from WGBH

See a sample »

   

WGBH Spring Auction 2013
Antiques Roadshow Golden Ticket Sweepstakes