Roots

I'm watching a reunion interview with actors who appeared in the mini-series Roots. It seems like a very appropriate thing to do as this Martin Luther King, Jr. Day winds down. When Roots aired in early 1977, I was 13 years old and I remember being completely glued to our little black and white television, watching the entire series.

I was not alone. The final episode ranks as the third most watched television show in the history of U.S. television, beating out every single Superbowl.

Even with my terrible memory, I can remember many scenes and how they made me feel. I know that I was influenced on a very deep, formative level. In a very real sense, the story rooted itself in me.