It’s rare that a TV program, especially a miniseries, can actually have a lasting impact on the fabric of a nation. But thirty years after it first aired on ABC, Roots, the powerful drama about the life of American slaves, is still seen as a major cultural flashpoint. Not only did it change television’s willingness to tackle tough issues, “it changed historical research… partly because it focused on African-Americans and partly because it focused on the stories of everyday people.”