(The Root) — On Wednesday evening, at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., The Root's editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr., hosted an illustrious panel and screening of his 13th documentary, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Gates sat down to discuss the monumental six-part, six-hour series with Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault and former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond in front of an audience of luminaries such as Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.).
Suggested Reading
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross documents the journey of African Americans from slavery all the way to the White House. "The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience," Gates said in a statement. "Since my senior year in high school, when I watched Bill Cosby narrate a documentary about black history, I've longed to share those stories in great detail to the broadest audience possible, young and old, black and white, scholars and the general public. I believe that my colleagues and I have achieved this goal through The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross." The entire series will span 500 years over two continents.
The first episode of The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross will air Tuesday, Oct. 22, with weekly episodes to follow.
Like The Root on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Jozen Cummings is the author and creator of the popular relationship blog Until I Get Married, which is currently in development for a television series with Warner Bros. He also hosts a weekly podcast with WNYC about Empire called Empire Afterparty, is a contributor at VerySmartBrothas.com and works at Twitter as an editorial curator. Follow him on Twitter.
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.