For eight consecutive nights in January 1977, "millions of Americans watched the groundbreaking, history-making saga of an American family who did not come over on the Mayflower or pass through Ellis Island," recalled Monica L. Haynes of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in a 2002 essay on the 25th anniversary of that historic television event. " 'Roots,' the story of Kunta Kinte, a West African enslaved in the United States, and his descendants, captivated the American television audience as no other dramatic program had done before."

Starring the young LeVar Burton, "It was television at its best -- controversial, thought-provoking, entertaining and a ratings hit. At some time during the miniseries' eight nights, 130 million Americans watched 'Roots,' and the series went on to garner countless awards including nine Emmys and a Peabody," Ms. Haynes noted.

The ABC mini-series also starred Ben Vereen as the infamous Chicken George; Leslie Uggams as Kinte's mother, Kizzy; Richard Roundtree as her boyfriend; Ed Asner as Capt. Davies, and Maya Angelou as Kunta Kinte's grandmother.

The mini-series was based on "Roots: The Saga of an American Family," a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel which author Alex Haley presented as a chronicle of seven generations of his own family.

Though Haley, who died in 1992, was subsequently challenged on some of his scholarship, the book and TV series made him and his ancestors -- Kunta Kinte and Kizzy -- household names. Some African-Americans even named their children Kunta and Kizzy.

But in addition to being a television event, "Roots" was also a social phenomenon.

"The country watched 'Roots' together and then we talked about it the next day in schools, at work, in the shopping malls," said Burton, two years ago. The actor/director was a 19-year-old theater major at the University of Southern California when he won the part of the young Kunta Kinte. "What was going through my mind was getting it right. I had no thought or expectation of what it would lead to."

But if Burton was surprised by the phenomenon which "Roots" became, so were TV's experts. The reason ABC executives aired it on eight consecutive nights, Burton recalled, was that "They figured if nobody watches it, we'll be done with it."

In a printed interview provided by NBC (which aired the 25th anniversary special after ABC passed), Burton spoke of the impact of the scene where the Africans lay side by side, chained in the hold of the slave ship. "It was so strong that the extras we had could not come back the second day to do it. In other words, they were so moved and overwhelmed by the experience that they actually couldn't repeat it."

But even that failed to tip off the network honchos to what they had.

"I was in Las Vegas rehearsing 'Guys and Dolls,' and the casinos were absolutely empty while 'Roots' was on," said Uggams in an NBC interview. "And once 'Roots' was over, then everyone could come downstairs and gamble."

The program served as a catalyst for intense discussions on American history and race relations. It gave African-Americans a sense of pride and a knowledge that their heritage did not begin with slavery, Burton said. And for white Americans, "Roots" was a history lesson they'd never been taught.

But today, kids can't watch "Roots" at Becker Middle School.

State Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, heard from a local parent that a Becker history teacher, who at his last school here in Las Vegas had invited kids to return after classroom hours to watch the mini-series on a voluntary basis during their study of the American Civil War, had been barred from doing this at Becker. The school is in Beers' district, so he asked the Legislative Counsel Bureau to investigate.

The memorandum the LCB sent to Beers on Jan. 31 revealed that the school's principal, Karen L. West, "declined to allow the teacher to show the mini-series in its entirety for two reasons: (1) the running time of the series is 9.55 hours; and (2) the abusive and derogatory language used throughout the series. Showing the whole mini-series would require approximately two weeks of class time. Ms. West said that she was concerned that the language would cause some children discomfort.

"Ms. West said that she advised the teacher he could use clips of the program in his lessons but cautioned him to be very careful," the LCB memo concludes.

Last week, we learned the principal at Canyon Springs High School has been busily censoring an original play about black history by a teacher there, removing any reference to the Ku Klux Klan and any use of the racial epithet which we all know was commonly used in slavery times (and even today).

But "Roots"? Now they won't let the kids watch "Roots"?

This isn't "education." Sounds more like something dreamed up by the busy rewrite men in George Orwell's "Ministry of Truth."