Lifetime’s TV movie Showing Roots is set in 1977. After watching the powerful TV mini-series Roots, a number of people are inspired to integrate their small Southern town. “I’ve never seen anything like that on TV before,” says beauty parlor worker Pearl (Uzo Aduba). Pearl, who is black, partners with a young white woman Violet (Maggie Grace) to open an integrated beauty salon. One of their first customers is Pearl’s grandmother Hattie. “All my life I’ve been ashamed of my kinky hair and black skin. I want to celebrate my roots, not hide them,” Hattie yells while pulling off her wig.
Hattie is portrayed by veteran actress Cicely Tyson who starred in the original Roots as Binta. The 91-year-old is known for her current roles on How to Get Away with Murder (Ophelia, Anna Mae’s mother), House of Cards (Doris Jones), and in the films The Help (Constantine Jefferson), Why Did I Get Married Too? (Ola) and the Madea movies (Myrtle), among others. Ms. Tyson is also recognized for her roles in the films Fried Green Tomatoes (Sipsey), Sounder (Rebecca Morgan), and the 1974 TV movie, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, which earned her two Emmys. Showing Roots will premiere on Lifetime on Thursday, May 26 at 10pm.
— A remake of Roots starring Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, and Anna Paquin, will air on The History Channel on Monday, May 30 at 9pm. See trailer below.
