jan 1, 1977 - Alex Haley

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In 1977, Alex Haley came to Kansas City, Kansas to begin his research on the books he was writing, titled “Roots.” His cousin, Georgia Anna Anderson, Cousin Georgia was known as the griot, the carrier of ancestral history of the family across several generations. She was the prime impetus for what became Alex Haley’s best-selling novel, Roots.
The book sold a million copies and even had greater success from the popularity of the eight-part serialization of the book on ABC Television. His book was a 688-page saga tracking his family back through slavery to the West African village, Juffure, in Gambia, Africa.
Alex Haley made many trips to Kansas City, Kansas, to talk to Cousin Georgia and other family members at 1200 Everett Avenue. He would invite the neighbors and friends of Cousin Georgia into her home to discuss the book he was writing. The first official public presentation he made after the writing and publication of Roots, was at First African Methodist Church in Kansas City, Kansas (Kansas City Star) (Black Progress Shopper Newspaper) (Record Album-Roots)

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