Part 7

what happens

In the exciting conclusion, it is now 1960 in Henning, Tennessee, 10 years after Alex's wife Nan left him, and Alex attends the funeral for his great Aunt Elizabeth. He has finally succeeded in a writing career by publishing free-lance articles including interviews with Minister Malcolm X of the Nation of Islam and George Lincoln Rockwell, head of the American Nazi Party. Alex lands a contract to ghost-write the autobiography of Malcolm X, although Malcolm is assassinated before the book is published. Alex then realizes that he should write a book about his own family and he obsessively researches his origins, alienating his new girlfriend in the process. After identifying the language of the words passed down to him, he manages to get an advance that will allow him to travel to Gambia, West Africa. Once there, he is taken by boat to the Griot for the Kinte clan. After the Griot retells centuries of history, Alex finally hears the name of Kunta Kinte and the story of the drum that lead to his capture into slavery, marking the end of his search for his family's roots.

who made it

directed

John Erman

written

Ernest Kinoy

guest cast

Billed for this episode only — the turn people remember an episode for.

• Dorian Harewood as Simon Haley
• Lynn Hamilton as Cousin Georgia Anderson
• Marlon Brando as George Lincoln Rockwell
• James Earl Jones as Alex Haley
• Zakes Mokae as African Minister
• Georg Stanford Brown as Tom Harvey (archive footage)
• Lynne Moody as Irene Harvey (archive footage)
• Johnny Sekka as Ebou Manga