Narrator: My great-grandmother, Jane Gates, was a slave. We know a little about her – that she was a nurse and a midwife, and that her five children were fathered by a white man. But we don’t know anything about him, not even his name. Jane took the secret of his identity to her grave. And to this day, my great great-grandfather remains a mystery to me. The story is the same for a lot of us. Most African Americans have a white ancestor somewhere in our family tree – but for most of us, their identity remains unknown. Once in a while though, one of us gets lucky – the historical record unveils something more. And in the case of the poet, Elizabeth Alexander, a whole lot more.

Gates: I’ve never met an African American, I’ve never done a family tree of an African American who had a longer family history that was documentable. Documentable by paper. Could you read the name of your ancestors?

Elizabeth Alexander: Sir William Mallory, 13th great grandparents.

Gates: 13th great grandparent. Could you read this?

Alexander: Joan, Princess of England.

Gates: Joan, Princess of England who was....

Alexander: 23rd great grandparent.

Gates: And Elizabeth could you read the name at the top?

Alexander: John Lackland, King of England.

Gates: King John I, Elizabeth, is your 24th great grandfather.

Alexander: The King of England?

Gates: You are descended from the King of England, King John I.

Alexander: Directly descended?

Gates: Through your mother’s line. And Clemence, mistress of the King, is your 24th great grandmother.

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