Angela Davis was shocked to learn that her ancestors came to America on the Mayflower, making her descendants of people who helped found the country.

The civil rights activist learned about this news during the Feb. 21 episode of PBS’s Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Gates shows her a manifest of names, eventually revealing that the document had the names of the Mayflower passengers.

The post Angela Davis Learns She Had Ancestors On The Mayflower In Recent ‘Finding Your Roots’ Episode appeared first on Blavity.

“No, I can’t believe this,” she said, laughing through her surprise. “My ancestors did not come here on the Mayflower.”

When asked how she felt about the news, Davis said, “…That’s a little bit too much to deal with right now.”

Watch the clip below. The full episode is available for streaming on PBS.

Finding Your Roots stars Gates as he reveals to America’s icons historical stories about their family lineage. According to the description of the series, “Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has explored the ancestry of dozens of influential people from diverse backgrounds, taking millions of viewers deep into the past to reveal the connections that bind us all.”

Source: Angela Davis Learns She Had Ancestors On The Mayflower In Recent ‘Finding Your Roots’ Episode

Source: Sophie Bassouls / Getty

The city of Oakland is synonymous with the Black Panther Party; it was in the West Coast metropolis where resilient young Black activists mobilized to spark a global movement of empowerment in the face of oppression. Amongst those on the front lines fighting for social change was revered activist, scholar, and author Angela Davis who is being celebrated for her transformational contributions by the Oakland Museum of California through an exhibition.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.

The project, titled “Angela Davis—Seize the Time,” provides a lens into Davis’ revolutionary quest for change. It uses her journey to explore the intersections of race, gender, politics, economics, and mass incarceration and shines a light on how she influenced generations of activists. Seize the Time also delves into her incarceration and the “Free Angela Davis” movement that followed.

The exhibition uses an assemblage of artwork, sketches, literature, stickers, buttons, postcards, and letters from the “Free Angela and All Political Prisoners” campaign, Davis’ writings, and other multi-media elements to capture her story. Among the pieces included are Faith Ringgold’s “Women Free Angela and United States of Attica,” as well as photographs of Davis during her time as a UCLA professor. The exhibition was cultivated by the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University. It’s curated by Donna Gustafson and Gerry Beegan of Rutgers University and Lisa Silberstein and Peggy Monahan of OMCA.

Source: Oakland-Based Exhibition Celebrates Revered Revolutionary Activist Angela Davis