Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Henry Louis Gates Jr. (born September 16, 1950) is an American literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker renowned for rediscovering early African-American novels like Our Nig (1859) and The Bondwoman's Narrative (c. 1853), and authoring seminal works such as The Signifying Monkey (1989, American Book Award winner) and co-editing The Norton Anthology of African American Literature (1997). His major achievements include a MacArthur Fellowship (1981), the National Humanities Medal (1998), the Jefferson Lecture (2002), and numerous Emmy and Peabody Awards for PBS documentaries like Finding Your Roots.