“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg shut down fellow co-host Sunny Hostin Thursday after she said her ancestors did not receive slave reparations.
Goldberg advocated for slave reparations for African-Americans. She seemingly referred to the issuance of Special Field Order 15 on Jan. 12, 1865, by Gen. William T. Sherman. The order, signed following a meeting with twenty black ministers in Savannah, Georgia, was supposed to give freed slaves a plot of land of no more than 40 acres, hence the phrase “40 acres and a mule.”
“You all got 40 acres and a mule, because we didn’t get none,” Hostin said.
“Well, you didn’t do what my people did,” Goldberg said. “Well maybe that’s because your people didn’t come and sit on the front and say we’re not moving until you give us what we’re owed. They weren’t really looking for you, but they were looking for my folks and my folks got it and that’s because that’s what was promised. We pay reparations to many different groups in this country and have, and the idea that you would want us to pretend that we don’t owe some folks something is ridiculous.”
Hostin is half-African American on her paternal side and half-Puerto Rican on her mother’s side. Goldberg traced her roots to two tribes in the African state Guinea-Bissau through DNA testing, according to International Biosciences. (RELATED: Sunny Hostin Says Queen Elizabeth Wore A Crown ‘Built On The Backs Of Black And Brown People,’ Calls For Reparations)
Hostin previously complained about social media users calling her racist for supporting reparations during an Oct. 10 segment, which fell on Columbus Day. Goldberg agreed with Hostin’s sentiment on reparations, and argued they have been paid in the past to atone for past wrongdoings.
“The minute you start talking about reparations, people call you a racist and I’ve always said, you know, please, people need to start just looking up what the definition of racism is,” Hostin said. “It’s really a power dynamic, it’s not just about the color of your skin and I think when you talk about those who committed crimes owe reparations, those are the people the atrocities of slavery, who stole land, who killed indigenous people. Today is Indigenous People’s Day.”