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Joseph M. Wilcots experiences the impact of ‘Roots’

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Joseph M. Wilcots, a trailblazing African-American cinematographer who died Dec. 30 at age 70, earned an Emmy nomination for his work on part seven of the landmark 1977 TV mini-series.

He was in his car, he said in a 2007 interview with the Archive of American Television, when he first realized the impact ‘Roots’ would have on millions of Americans.

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‘I was racing home to see the first night’s show, and I stopped at the stoplight and another guy stopped at the stoplight,’ Wilcots recalled. ‘I looked over at him, and he looked at me, and he said, ‘Roots’?’ And I said, ‘Yeah’, and we both took off.’

You can find Wilcots’ obiturary here.

--Dennis McLellan

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