Posted on 02/25/2007 12:55:08 PM PST by nuconvert
Al Sharpton's Ancestors Were Slaves Owned by Strom Thurmond's Relatives
February 25, 2007
New York - Genealogists have found that civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton is a descendent of a slave owned by relatives of the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, a newspaper reported Sunday.
The Daily News said professional genealogists, working at the newspaper's behest, recently uncovered the ancestral ties between one of the nation's best-known black leaders and a man who was once a prominent defender of segregation.
"I have always wondered what was the background of my family," the newspaper quoted Sharpton as saying. "But nothing — nothing — could prepare me for this."
"It's chilling. It's amazing."
Sharpton's office said Sunday morning that he would not comment until a news conference planned for later in the day.
Some of Thurmond's relatives said the connection also came as a surprise to them. A niece, Ellen Senter, said she would speak with Sharpton if he were interested.
"I doubt you can find many native South Carolinians today whose family, if you traced them back far enough, didn't own slaves," said Senter, 61, of Columbia, S.C. She added: "And it is wonderful that [Sharpton] was able to become what he is in spite of what his forefather was."
One of the late senator's sons, Paul Thurmond, and a nephew, Barry Bishop, declined comment, the Daily News said.
According to the newspaper, the genealogists found documents establishing that Sharpton's great-grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, was a slave owned by Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was Strom Thurmond's great-great-grandfather. Coleman Sharpton was later freed.
The newspaper said the lead researcher was Megan Smolenyak, the chief family historian for Ancestry.com and an author of several published books on genealogy. Another researcher on the project was Tony Burroughs, who teaches genealogy at Chicago State University.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
We are not responsible for things that our forefathers may have done before we were born. We are only responsible for the deeds we do in our lifetimes, and for the attitudes we assume and hold to in the daily business of living.
Strom Thurmond has pretty much abandoned all the perceptions and actions he ever took part in. Whatever it was that Senator Thurmond did, or did not do, in his lifetime is already written on the books.
Al Sharpton, on the other hand, has all kinds of opportunity to adjust his attitudes and perceptions. Today's white people are not the problem, any more. Legal precedent and established law have made the exercise of ungentlemanly coercion upon others an undesired form of behavior, and white people, by and large, have accepted this state of affairs. The old Southern redneck Dem'crat stereotype is just about extinguished. In its place the soft racism of lowered expectations has been substituted.
Reverend Sharpton, you are better than that.
I'm pretty close to some of my second cousins -- the children of my cousins. I tend to think of them as nieces and nephews though.
"Most people don't think of their grandparents' second cousins as "family."
Guess that's why the headline says relatives
LOL!
Sharptons ancestors were owned by the Right?
Now Sharpton is owned by the LEFT?
Ironic.
The children of your first cousins are your first cousins once removed. The children of two first cousins are second cousins.
Just wait until he finds out he's a blood relation as well.
YES, and...he owes his CITIZENSHIP to a Republican!
Sharpton was later freed
Yeah, and Mitt Romney's great grandpappy had 12 wives. Big Mouth Liar Monied Al Sharpton is an ugly piece of humanity.
Right - it's a generational thing - not an age thing.
they did name them
The newspaper said the lead researcher was Megan Smolenyak, the chief family historian for Ancestry.com and an author of several published books on genealogy. Another researcher on the project was Tony Burroughs, who teaches genealogy at Chicago State University.
GOOD
"I am certain that somewhere in Sharpton's lineage there was a proud citizen from the fine State of Virginia. And, now that the state has taken the liberties of apologizing for slavery, I believe that Mr. Sharton's ship has once gain arrived".
...The VA state legislature didn't "apologize". It "regrets". Close. No cigar.
Let me know if anyone thinks I am reading into the wording here.
Slaves = Sharpton's ancestors
Slave owners = Thurmond's "relatives"
The noun "relative" implies that Thurmond was much closer geneologically to the slave owners than he would have been if they were his simply his ancestors.
It is subtle, but I suspect that it is intentional.
Somebody photo shop a morph of Sharpton and Thurmond... I'm sure there were chillun from this arangement almost 200 years ago.
I bet his ancestors never did a lick of work either...
Could we clear all this up by having Sen. Trent Lott apologize about 500 more times? Or resign some committee position?
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