The next episode of “Finding Your Roots” premieres on April 1. It will feature the incredible narrative of George Thomas Ralph, emphasizing the strength and perseverance of his heritage. Historian Lonnie Bunch will guide viewers through Ralph’s life, highlighting his journey from a free man in North Carolina to an individual who valued education despite the challenges he faced.
Her husband George Thomas Ralph’s paternal family comes from North Carolina. Historical records indicate that he was a black man, free even before Emancipation in 1863. The free woman enumerated with him as his mother in that same census was free. This status gave Ralph much freedom, but it was not without brutal cost. As a youth, he never had the opportunity to learn to read, write, or cipher. These fundamental skills were still inaccessible to most African Americans during that time.
The case began when Ralph signed an apprenticeship agreement with a local white farmer. The most important line that provided him the right to an education was scratched out. This brief is intended as an illustration of the systemic barriers he experienced growing up. Against all these odds, he eventually received a higher education, a rare feat for someone of his race and class. Ralph’s desire to continue learning later in life is an admirable dedication to personal growth—as unwavering as Ralph’s spirit himself.
Emmy-award winner Sheryl Lee Ralph will be sharing her insights on the episode. As a great-great-granddaughter of George Thomas Ralph, she, too, is proud to assume that legacy. She closed by claiming with great resolution, “I’m made out of real good folks. They never stopped believing and they never stopped fighting.” Let the glorious tradition of Ralph’s forebears and their lasting impact be the theme for this stormy week.
Ralph’s story is very much one of individual triumph. It exemplifies the resilience and strength that lie at the core of his family’s history. Sheryl Lee Ralph, who reminded us all of this historical connection, put it best when she said, “They plant the seeds that are still growing right now.” Millions of viewers have responded powerfully to this recognition of our past. It shows just how much the fight of those before us continues to influence our everyday lives.
George Thomas Ralph’s ability to obtain an education later in life stands as a significant achievement against the backdrop of systemic educational denial for many individuals of color at the time. We hope that the upcoming episode of PBS’s “Finding Your Roots” will honor his fierce legacy of perseverance. This will allow audiences to appreciate the larger lessons his life journey has to offer.