Famed African American Harvard professor now seeks his Irish roots

Henry Gates was involved in famous arrest case with Boston cop James Crowley

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Professor Henry Louis 'Skip' Gates Jr

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But the Gates family later found out that Brady was not in fact their great-great-grandfather, so now the search is on. Scientists can trace a family's origins by analyzing DNA obtained from saliva on the mother’s mother’s mother’s line, and on the man’s father’s father’s father’s line.

That's why residents of Gates ancestral home of Allegany County, Maryland, who are of Irish descent, have been asked to send in a DNA sample to see if they are related to Gates. Those with a DNA match may be featured in the new PBS miniseries 'Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates,' which will premiere March 25 at 8 p.m.

"I don’t think you can know who you are without looking into your ancestry. I think it’s empowering to learn where you came from," said Gates.

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