Ben Affleck’s six month old episode of Finding My Roots were missing out some interesting details.
Finding My Roots is a show hosted by noted scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. and he helps celebrities discover their roots buried under many generations. Some guests on the show include, Nas and Jessica Alba.
Ben Affleck was a guest in October 2014 and learned that his ancestors may have owned slaves, but he asked the producers to exclude that information out of the episode. I wonder why. Affleck’s request were surfaced when copies of his e-mails appeared on WikiLeak and many were unhappy.
Professor Gates Jr. defended himself by saying:
Ultimately, I maintain editorial control on all of my projects and, with my producers, decide what will make for the most compelling programme. In the case of Mr Affleck we focused on what we felt were the most interesting aspects of his ancestry – including a Revolutionary War ancestor, a third great–grandfather who was an occult enthusiast, and his mother who marched for civil rights during the Freedom Summer of 1964.
Although Affleck tried to keep this information about his family a secret it still got out. But it’s not a secret, or a surprise, if a white person’s ancestor’s owned slaves. But I understand his decision because slavery is a sensitive topic, and its impression still lurks society today.
What do you guys think? Watch the trailer of Ben Affleck’s appearance on Finding My Roots
You can find Ebbony on Twitter, @miss2bees
