In 2006 PBS presented a 4-part series called African American Lives in which host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. led a group of prominent African Americans–including Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Tucker, and Oprah Winfrey–on a journey of self-discovery about their ancestral roots. It was a fascinating show.

Now PBS presents the 4-part sequel, African American Lives 2.  Gates leads a new group of people–including Chris Rock, Don Cheadle, Maya Angelou, and Tina Turner–in search of the past. I’ve been traveling so much that I haven’t been paying close enough attention to things like this, so I’m glad that “google alerts” sent me an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer about this show that starts tomorrow evening and concludes next week on the 13th.