A B O U T

The co-founders of The Inherited Roots Project ("InRP") are Bill Haley, Jr. the grandson of Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Roots”, Alex Haley (“Haley”), and Malick Manga, son of Ebou Manga (“Ebou”), who was the Hamilton College student from The Gambia that  Haley met in 1966. Haley credits Ebou with unlocking the Mandinka words of his family’s oral history, catapulting Haley’s research for "Roots". Ebou also took Haley to Gambia that led to his discovering Kunta Kinteh was an ancestor.  This ten-year journey led not only to the book’s publication, but to the historic, multiple Emmy-winning 1977 miniseries, for which Ebou served as an consultant (and had two minor roles).  In fact, its 1979 sequel, “Roots: Next Generations” captured the beginnings of their lifelong friendship, with James Earl Jones as Haley and revered Senegalese actor, Johnny Sekka as Ebou (and Ebou playing the Griot that revealed Haley's African family history).  The legacy of their bond continues today with Bill and Malick’s friendship, and their co-founding the Inherited Roots Project to pursue its mission of inspiring the global African diaspora to discover their ancestral connections to Africa, as well as to advocate and support the preservation of the history behind “Roots” the book and both miniseries, as well as other ancillary material (e.g., the Warner Bros. album "Alex Haley Tells the Story of His Search for Roots").  In addition, InRP seeks to link Africans, African-Americans and the African Diaspora through initiatives that meet one of InRP's four key missions to: empower, elevate, engage and educate (click on any mission for further information), especially in 2026, this 50th Anniversary year commemorating the publication of "Roots".