In a twist that sounds like it’s straight out of a satirical comedy, Sunny Hostin, a far-left progressive political commentator and a co-host of The View, experienced a jaw-dropping revelation on PBS’ Finding Your Roots.
Hostin, an outspoken advocate for slavery reparations, was shocked to learn that her own lineage traces back to Spanish slave owners.
The episode left the 55-year-old far-left host grappling with a complex personal revelation.
Hostin, whose mother is Puerto Rican and father is African American, has long identified with her Puerto Rican heritage and the civil rights movement.
However, the PBS series hosted by Henry Louis Gates Jr. uncovered that Hostin’s maternal ancestors were far from the freedom fighters she had imagined; they were slave owners in Spain.
According to Daily Mail, Hostin’s third great-grandfather, Fermín, a son of a Spanish merchant who was likely involved in the slave trade, was revealed to have owned slaves. Hostin also found out that she is only 7% indigenous Puerto Rican.
“Wow, I’m a little bit in shock. I just always thought of myself as half Puerto Rican. I didn’t think my family was originally from Spain and slaveholders,” she said.
“I think it’s actually pretty interesting that my husband and I have shared roots, so I do appreciate that, and I think it’s great for our children to know this information.”
“I guess it’s a fact of life that this is how some people made their living, on the backs of others.”
“I had no idea the Spanish roots to this extent. I’m still sort of shocked at the depth of the ties,” Hostin added.
This is her reaction upon learning the news:
The View host Sunny Hostin is a staunch proponent of slavery reparations.
She went on PBS to explore her ancestry.
Turns out, she is the descendant of slave-owners from Spain who owned Africans.
This was her reaction when she found out: pic.twitter.com/yFBgjMOSGc
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 8, 2024
Hostin’s personal journey, including her conversation with her mother, Rosa Beza, who identifies as Black despite her European ancestry, was detailed in “The View.”
“It was deeply disappointing, because my mother really identified as Puerto Rican. She was part of the civil rights movement, and she was deeply ingrained in Black culture,” Hostin told her co-hosts on Thursday’s episode of The View.
The irony of Hostin’s ancestral discovery was not lost on the public, prompting a barrage of messages questioning her stance on reparations. Hostin reaffirmed her belief in the necessity for reparations.
“I still believe this country has a lot to do in terms of racial justice. But what I will say, Sara, to your question is that I feel that I’m enriched by knowing that history,” Hostin said.
“And I’m enriched by knowing that my family has come so far from being enslavers to my mother marrying my father in 1968. I feel enriched by it.”
WATCH:
Sunny Hostin after discovering that she is a descendant of Spanish slave-traders:
“I STILL BELIEVE IN REPARATIONS… STOP TEXTING ME THAT I DO NOT DESERVE REPARATIONS!!” pic.twitter.com/N6SODBO0Hs
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) February 8, 2024
