Alex Haley and the Impact of Roots

Alex Haley was an African-American who made an impact early in my childhood. I was eight years old when I saw the miniseries, Roots: An American Family, on television together with my family. The year was 1977. The miniseries was based on Alex Haley’s Pulitzer Prize winning novel.

At that time, there was no cable TV. There were no video stores like Blockbuster to rent movies from and VCRs did not exist in most homes. The Internet and personal computers did not exist yet. So for home entertainment, there was only the television and there were only three major networks: CBS, NBC and ABC; no FOX but there was WGN (locally), PBS and a couple of UHF channels. Basically, with such few viewing options, Made for Television movies were a big deal. And when there was a miniseries, it was an even bigger event. The movie, Roots, was a big event. The ratings for viewing Roots set Nielsen records, that still make it one of the highest viewed television events in history.

Coming from Puerto Rico and being new to the United States, I had never heard of slavery. As I sat in our living room watching Alex Haley’s masterpiece with my family, I began to wonder if what I was watching was true. Were dark skinned people treated inhumanely? Were dark skinned people forced to do work without getting paid? Were dark skinned people whipped so viciously until they bled? Were dark skinned people separated from their families all the time? Were dark skinned people sold?

I had a lot of questions and no answers. What I was watching did not make sense to my young mind. I was confused. I was confused because my father is dark skinned. I was confused because my grandfather was darker than my father. I was confused because my great-grandmother was darker than both of them.

As I was watching Roots, a scene came on where a slave was being whipped. I looked at my father and his eyes were watery. My father is a strong man. I had never seen my father cry. To see his eyes get watery was a surprise to me. When the beating was over, I asked my father my first question. I wanted to know if what we were watching was true. Had it really happened?

My father wasn’t one to talk much. My father is a quiet man. A very private man. He kept things to himself. Aside from giving me his blessing on a daily basis and asking me to do stuff, he barely said more than that. He answered my question. And he answered every question I asked. Then he did the unexpected. He shared. He shared his experience as a dark skinned man in the United States of America.

My father was never comfortable living in New York or Chicago. Maybe that is why he kept moving back to Puerto Rico every few years, just to shake it off. He talked about his battles with racism and prejudice. He talked about how difficult it was to work in certain environments simply because he is dark skinned.

I learned many things about my father while watching Roots. I had many questions and received many answers. I have Alex Haley to thank for that. I don’t remember how many nights Roots was on. What I do remember is going to school and Roots was all my friends, classmates and teachers were talking about.

Alex Haley made an impact on my young life. He taught me that it is imperative to remember where one comes from. He taught me that knowing your roots is essential. Most importantly, he taught me that documenting your history is vital for the next generation.

Thank you Alex Haley.