Rev. Sharpton's Slave Ancestors Traced to Ownership by Thurmond's

The Reverend Al Sharpton and deceased senator Strom Thurmond represent diametrically opposite viewpoints on civil rights and black equality in the United States. Al Sharpton has been an outspoken Democratic advocate for African-American issues and on several occasions a presidential candidate. Wherever black rights becomes an issue, the mass media typically elects to quote Sharpton on his perspective. Strom Thurmond, however, is the categorical inverse of Sharpton. Thurmond has a bigoted record against African-American causes and was at one time a staunch segregationist. In fact, as a senator, Thurmond enacted the longest filibuster in history to block voting on the Civil Rights Act of 1957¹.

Modern genealogy has recently inextricably linked the two very different men. In a bizarre twist of irony, the Reverend Al Sharpton's ancestors were shown to be owned by the forefathers of Strom Thurmond during the time of slavery in the United States². The news seems characteristic of Strom Thurmond, who is often prone to strange and usually ironic news. For instance, after his death it was revealed that he had fathered an illegitimate daughter with a former African-American maid despite his public condemnation of equality for blacks¹.

Slavery has remained a major topic in American history, especially when linked to politics. Most of the founding fathers of the United States engaged in slaveholding on their private plantations. The American Civil War, in fact, was prompted mainly by the slavery issue between the industrial North and the agricultural South. So, it should come as no surprise that a powerful Southern family like the Thurmond's have a history of slave possession. However, to the Reverend Al Sharpton, the news has come as quite a surprise.

"It was probably the most shocking thing I had ever heard in my life," the African-American leader said².

Sharpton was, until the recent news linking his family to the Thurmond's, unsure of his family's enslaved past². However, the new evidence may prompt serious changes in his motivation for campaigning for black rights and provide a very emotional guidance in his political endeavors. The revelations of late will undoubtedly intensify the feelings Sharpton has characteristically held that the brotherhood between whites and blacks in America, as Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. first described, should be pursued.

According to Sharpton, the history of his family and their slaveholders shows the contrast of America's shameful enslaving past and the "glory" of its opportunities for minority ascendancy into rightfully-equal legitimacy². The family history provides a stark contrast that is reminiscent of the respective families' modern members. Thurmond was a presidential candidate that advocated segregation, while Sharpton campaigned for racial justice. Indeed, this case shows that family tradition carries forth for generations.

¹"Strom Thurmond." Wikipedia. URL: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strom_Thurmond)
²Robin Shulman, "Sharpton's Ancestor Was Owned by Thurmond's." Washington Post. URL:
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/25/AR2007022501518.html)