Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Stephen Colbert discuss why it's important to know where you come from, and the place of the Colbert family in the context of American history.

Mario Batali talks about moving back to Italy as a young man to learn how to cook Italian food, and his continuing connection to his Italian heritage.

Mario Batali reminisces about his grandmother, her influence on his life as a chef, and his first cooking experiences.

Mario Batali talks about what it was like to grow up as the grandson of Italian immigrants in Washington state.

Elizabeth Alexander talks about her father, Clifford Alexander, Jr. and his role in quelling violence after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Elizabeth Alexander talks about her grandfather, Clifford Alexander, Sr. and his emigration from Jamaica to start a new life and raise a family in Harlem.

Elizabeth Alexander and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discuss what it means to be African American, especially in the context of Alexander's mixed heritage.

Elizabeth Alexander talks about her family's accomplishments, and how they may (or may not) relate to what Henry Louis Gates, Jr. revealed about her ancestry.

Elizabeth Alexander is a poet, professor and current chair of the African American Studies Department at Yale University. A graduate of Yale and Boston University, she holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2008, Dr. Alexander was selected to compose and read a poem at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Mario Batali is one of the country’s most celebrated chefs. He has opened six highly successful restaurants in New York City. Batali is a familiar television personality, from his Food Network cooking show, Molto Mario, to his recent PBS series, Spain…On the Road Again, and his appearances as a competitor on Iron Chef.

Stephen Colbert is the host and executive producer of The Colbert Report, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning series on Comedy Central. His show is touted by The New York Times as “one of the best television shows of the year” and praised by Entertainment Weekly as “the best show of the year.”