Ask Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Did Lincoln own slaves? What was his real agenda?

Dr. Gates--

Do you think the election of President Barack Obama (the nation's first Black president) will have a visceral effect on some people? If yes, please elaborate.

Onward,
Mrs. Harris

My Y DNA Haplogroup R1B (343)and most of my matches are British I am 72, all my life i was an Afro-American I do want to be white, I read Arare African DNA discovered in White British. African was first in northern England some 1,800 years ago as part of a Roman garrison. Could that be it, My grandmother X L3 Thank God for that.
What is RACE anyway? tell me, or help find out who I Am.

Whenever I talk with my Caucasian colleagues about issues of race I have begun to ask them about stories they have heard or events that occurred with family members, distant relatives and friends about slave owners, klan members and others who oppressed African-Americans. I surmise that until we have that level of dialogue and disclosure, and subsequent healing, that issues of race and oppression will continue to haunt our attempts to mend race relations. Dr. Gates who is doing this type of research and work to uncover the linkages between past slavery and oppressors and modern day acts of systemic and institutional racism?

Can you describe what were you doing and what you were feeling the night that Barack Obama won the presidential election in November?

Although Obama's inauguration has had a huge impact on most of America, many children and teenagers don't really care. How do you think childhood racial barriers are different from adult ones?

Can you define the word race? From what I can tell, there is no scientific base to labeling someone white/black/red/brown/yellow. So, the word race means differnet things to different people around the world. Do you believe we would all be better off doing away with racial terms? Ethnic heritage and ancestry are more meaningful. What do you think?

After devoting a lifetime to Afro American studies and enlightening American with your personal history and insight what is your most cherished accomplishment to the field?

What will be the long term impact of Obama's presidency both here at home and abroad?

how could i help my wife find her father. Her mother only know his name before he changed it and the place he was once employed. this place of employeed back in the late "60" s arron or erran or erin Davis who live in New York and later moved to conn. he was enployed at con air or con eld... power company. please help with come type of hint how i could extend my search. JohnsonPlus4@cox.net

Considering the fact that we are still studying and learning things from Lincoln's ground-breaking presidency, what sorts of things do you think people will discover from Obama's time at the head of our country?

What is one event in history that you think everyone should know about?

Do you think the recent inauguration of Barack Obama has cemented a change of perspective not just in a liberal America, but in the conservative South as well?

Dear Professor Gates
I am a Beninese citizen (in old time DAHOMEY West Africa). People refer to the US president Mr. Obama as a black American but as far you can see he is not black American but mixed race and I am not sure that he never lived the hard life of full black Americans. I am very happy to see a mixed race competent and bright president.
Why is it so easy to black to accept anyone as black even when they are not?
Secondly I truly hope he will be an amazing president but do black people not just in USA but also in Africa understand that only hard work will pay. Mr Obama became president not just because he was bright or went to Harvard but because when he faced his challengers he proved his worth and forced them to recognize that he was able to run.
How can we black apply on daily basis this culture of hard work and continuous improvement as a community? Success is not a speedy business but incremental evolution. How can black Americans and black Africans live in harmony in the USA without too much trouble? I am asking this last question because we are all black but also different.

Are you sharing all this hype on Obama's being US' first black President?

Hi,

I watched (and loved) each episode of the PBS series done by Dr. Gates. I want to know if he has continued to search for his own familial roots and what the outcome has been. Also, is he going to do another series of African American Lives. Thanks, Jackie

Do you agree that Lincoln´s policy of granting land and money to freed slaves in USA is one major and defining benchmark for the self-pride and the rebuilding of the African Americans, in contrast to some bad experiences of freedom without rights as happened, for instance in Brazil?

What does it take to be a writer?

What are your thoughts on the threat of the nation's oldest library (Darby Free Library) closing in Darby, PA?

When discussing the brutal legacy of slavery with your white colleagues and students, how do you relay the information to them in a way that is both visceral and palpable?

In your opinion, will there ever be a time in which the signifier of race will cease to matter?

After the historic election, what is the future of Race in America now?

I am a 67 year old African American. How can we cope and handle our anger when we hear "white" folks referring to our President as "Obama" instead of President Obama? Some of the news media and congressmen and senators are giving him the respect that they gave the other presidents. Their racism still shows in their attitudes; especially on Fox News (Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh). I am a product of the south who could not drink out of but one fountain (the one for "Blacks Only". Nor could I sit in a restaurant to eat a hot dog. I am proud of our new President. He is inspiring the youth, (teens and our little children through the world). He has given the little black boys confidence that they can rise above their dire circumstances. I see a change in them and our hip hop artists. Tell me what you think.

Thanks.

Do you think that, with the recent inauguration of America's first biracial president, America is on the path to becoming post-racial? Can there ever be a post-racial America?

Mr Gates,

I am related to John Dickinson, and although we know that he was opposed to the seperation from Great Britain and also was against the voting and signing of the declaration of Independance. My late Grandmother who has passed used to tell us about there families history and she always told that he had someone else sign, or that somone else signed in his place. Is this the case, and is there anything else about John Dickinson that might not be in text books that you could tell us?

Thanks
D.Thompson