Even though her family comes from slaveholders, “The View” host Sunny Hostin declared, “I still believe in reparations!”
On Thursday’s episode of ABC’s daytime talk show, Hostin spoke about his recent appearance on the PBS documentary “Finding Your Roots.” Host Henry Louis Gates Jr. told Hostin that one of her maternal ancestors was involved in the slave trade in colonial Spain and likely “owned at least one human being.” revealed.
She acknowledged the news during a panel discussion, but insisted she still “deserves” compensation.
“By the way, I still believe in reparations. So y’all, please stop texting me or emailing me and saying I’m a white woman and don’t deserve reparations!” Hostin said.
She added, “I still believe in reparations. I still believe there’s a lot of work to be done in this country in terms of racial justice.”
Hostin said she initially felt “terribly disappointed” by the revelations, but now feels “enriched” by knowing her family’s history.
“It enriches my heart to know that my mother married my father in 1968 and that my family was able to grow from slavery to this point,” Hostin said.
“You are not responsible for what they did,” Behar responded.
During the show, Hostin also talked about her mother’s reaction.
“She was so disappointed. She actually cried about it. And she said, maybe that’s why I’m so connected to black culture because it’s redemption for my spirit.” And I took it. I also found out that we had slaves on both sides of our family, my mother’s side and my father’s side. But we were 7 percent indigenous. I’m Puerto Rican!” Hostin said.
She added that her mother “identified as truly Puerto Rican” before the report, but Hostin claims the findings now prove she is “white.”
“It’s a huge shame because my mother really identified as Puerto Rican. She was part of the civil rights movement and was deeply immersed in black culture and identified herself as black but ethnically Hispanic. “I recognized that…but her race is white. She’s European. I know,” she said.
“It’s strange because when I look at my mother, she’s blonde and bright-eyed and everyone in my family looks the same. So in my heart I knew this was my history and I probably didn’t want to do it.” I think that’s why,” Hostin said.
Hostin also discovered that her third great-grandfather was registered to vote in Georgia in 1867, even though he was born into slavery in 1835.
