This Alex Haley Family interactive page is provided by the family of Alex Haley and the 7th, 8th, and 9th generation descendants of Kunta Kinte.
Per Alex Haley his original mission for the Alex Haley Roots Foundation was as follows, "The Foundation is a reflection of the responsibility I feel as a result of the success of Roots. I very much want to do something constructive with the profits from the book. I have no desire whatsoever to own a yacht, or a mansion, or a limousine, or anything else like that. I'm just not interested in those things. Instead, I've established the Alex Haley Roots Foundation. It only bears my name because of the shoe company which has a similar name. Basically, the Foundation is an outgrowth of my desire to put into practice what I believe. I think it's vitally important that black people, particularly those in positions of responsibility, do what they can to help others who aren't quite as fortunate. As a result, I've set into motion this Foundation. It's arranged so I can donate the legal maximum to insure its continued operation. I was fortunate to secure the assistance of my friend, Mr. James Dyer, to head the Foundation. Mr. Dyer, who is a Harvard graduate, worked previously for both the Urban League and the Carnegie Corporation. With the blessings of the Carnegie Corporation, he became Director of the Alex Haley Roots Foundation, which is headquartered in New York, and which began operation in October, 1977. The purposes of the Foundation are still evolving. However, we hope to provide scholarships for post-graduate students who are working in the thematic area which encompasses Roots. In addition, we would like to help disseminate course materials at the primary and secondary levels, on a national basis, dealing with solid information concerning black history. Finally, we want to work in connection with Africa, and, in particular, with The Gambia, to help build bridges between black Africans and black people in this country. As you can see, we have an ambitious agenda before us." ~ Alex Haley.
