OPB is showing a terrific series, I’ve copied below.  The stories of the individuals are fascinating–but it is also a picture of how the world comes together in the people of our country, and honors their paths.  It is striking how one event can be so formative in the lives of generations of a family.

FACES OF AMERICA, Parts 1-4
Stephen Colbert, Yo-Yo Ma, Malcolm Gladwell, Meryl Streep…

Wednesdays, beginning February 10, 8pm. (OPB & HD).Following on the success ofAfrican-American Lives, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. again turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of a diverse group of renowned Americans. The many stories he uncovers illuminate the American experience as he traces the threads of his guests’ families back to their earliest origins around the globe. Repeats: Fridays, 1am, Sundays, 11am (OPB); Saturdays, 4pm (HD)