Henry Louis Gates Jr. met with presidential advisor Valarie Jarrett, and began to explain to her about her family history. He began to speak about how one of her family members not only were enslaved, but had labeled their owner as their father. Miss Valarie Jarrett was completely mind blown, how could her enslaved relative, be under the ownership of his own father. Mr. Gates Jr. asked Miss. Jarrett: “Why do you think this man, who gave his son the freedom of a freed slave, but never once freed him?” To which Jarrett replied, “It must have just been safer that way” (Finding Your Roots). Miss. Jarrett realized that her ancestor was a slave, but if he was not one, she may have not even been alive. It was very appalling to see how the treatment or lack there of for slaves is what brought these people on the show
Henry Louis Gates Jr. met with presidential advisor Valarie Jarrett, and began to explain to her about her family history. He began to speak about how one of her family members not only were enslaved, but had labeled their owner as their father. Miss Valarie Jarrett was completely mind blown, how could her enslaved relative, be under the ownership of his own father. Mr. Gates Jr. asked Miss. Jarrett: “Why do you think this man, who gave his son the freedom of a freed slave, but never once freed him?” To which Jarrett replied, “It must have just been safer that way” (Finding Your Roots). Miss. Jarrett realized that her ancestor was a slave, but if he was not one, she may have not even been alive. It was very appalling to see how the treatment or lack there of for slaves is what brought these people on the show