Video | Faces of America

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Episode 4: Know Thyself
Know Thyself takes up the search for the guests’ ancestries where the historical record leaves off and links their distinctive family histories to the broader history of “the family of man.”

Episode 3: Making America
Making America tells the story of the peopling of the New World, of how land came to define the settling and identity of America, and of how the guests’ ancestors were part of this history.

Episode 2: Becoming American
Becoming American explores the many journeys to becoming American that defined the “Century of Immigration” (1820s – 1924) and transformed the United States from a sleepy agrarian country into a booming industrial power.

Episode 1: Our American Stories
Our American Stories explores the dynamic and shifting relationship America had with her new immigrants in the 20th century.

Video: Preview “Faces of America”
What made America? What makes us? In the new PBS series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Harvard scholar turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans.

What it means to be Japanese-American
Kristi Yamaguchi reflects on what she's learned about her ancestry, and how that affects her feelings about being Japanese-American.

First visit to Japan
Kristi Yamaguchi talks about what she felt when she first visited Japan and met relatives in her ancestral homeland.

Loyalty, sacrifice, and persecution
Kristi Yamaguchi and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discuss how Japanese American soldiers and civilians were treated during World War II.

Japanese heritage and Olympic gold
Kristi Yamaguchi talks about how her Japanese heritage affected the public's perception during her quest for the Olympic gold medal.

Stories of the Past
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. asks Kristi Yamaguchi about stories she heard about her family as a child, and what she hopes to learn about her ancestors.

Ethnic diversity
Queen Noor describes how she learned about her diverse ethnic background as a child from her parents.

Childhood stories
Queen Noor tells the story of her nomadic childhood, especially her time in Washington during the Kennedy administration.

About the Program

What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the heart of the new PBS series Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The Harvard scholar turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans — professor and poet Elizabeth Alexander, chef Mario Batali, comedian Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, journalist Malcolm Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

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Corporate funding is provided by The Coca-Cola Company and Johnson & Johnson.

Additional funding is provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS.