Condoleezza Rice's Sobering Past

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shared stories of her childhood in racially turbulent 1960s Birmingham, Ala., and learned about her great-grandmother's European roots and slavery-era past on PBS's Finding Your Roots, hosted by The Root's editor-in-chief, Henry Louis Gates Jr.  

"Julia, 4 years old, $450," Rice reads from a slavery-era document found during Gates' investigation. "My great-grandmother was worth $450? The humanization, just property.” Rice's great-grandmother would live to be emancipated.

Watch some of what Gates found below. Also, be sure to catch the full episode on Sunday, April 29, at 8 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. CDT on PBS.

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Watch More Finding Your Roots Clips:

Samuel L. Jackson's Surprising Roots

On Finding Your Roots, the actor talks about racism in his youth and learns about his ancestors.

 

'Finding Your Roots': Tracing the Canadas

An absent father left Harlem activist Geoffrey Canada with questions about his paternal ancestry.

 

Discovering Hollywood Royalty -- Literally

Maggie Gyllenhaal learns of her noble ancestor from Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Finding Your Roots.

 

Martha Stewart's Inherited Profession

On Finding Your Roots, Martha Stewart learns that she's not the only craftsman in her family.

 

Iron Man's Revolutionary Ancestry

On Finding Your Roots,Robert Downey Jr. learns that a relative fought for America's independence.

 

A Mega-Church Pastor's Deep Religious Roots

On Finding Your Roots, Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores Rick Warren's family legacy.

 

Ruth Simmons, When Past Meets Present

On Finding Your Roots, Ruth Simmons learns about her great-grandfather and a newfound relative.