Gothamist: Sharpton Finds Out More About His History

cereal

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 13:16:58 -0500

awe, i think he's kinda funny. like borat.

MT

Mon, 05 Mar 2007 08:22:00 -0500

Maybe there should be a media ban on Al Sharpton like the AP is currently doing with Paris Hilton. If a blowhard has a press conference and no one comes, does he make a sound? This is not news. As matuko said, Sharpton is just a clown and he's not even funny.

Jim

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:57:09 -0500

Interesting that the story has already been twisted--Sharpton's ancestor was not owned by Thurmond's ancestor, as Gothamist reports. He was owned by a relative of Thurmond's ancestor. This is a big difference. The fact that Sharpton is making a big deal about this is ridiculous. His ancestor had to have been owned by someone; and it is extremely likely that that someone would be related to one eminent southern personage or another. This is not news.

Sam

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:55:17 -0500

Inflation

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:07:50 -0500

$276 in 1861 is equivalent to $5,977.80 in 2006. Inflation Calculator: www.westegg.com/inflation

matuko

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:32:44 -0500

I meant that I'm the "descendant" of slaves, of course - sorry!

matuko

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:29:46 -0500

As a black person and the descendant of slaves, I think that bemoaning a dead institution instead of addressing the current crises faced by black people is unproductive and, in this case, self-serving. One hundred years of Jim Crow, I believe, has done more quantifiable and lasting damage to the black population than slavery, and I never hear anyone even mention it. By the way, my grandfather was named Coleman (it's not exactly a rare surname) -- maybe he's the one named in these papers! I mean, who cares? What does this have to do with anything?

matuko

Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:23:35 -0500

As a black person and the ancestors of slaves who admittedly thinks Al Sharpton is an embarrassing clown and an ass, I don't disagree (who would?) that slavery has "left scars" and carries the legacy of denial. I do think that this sort of slavery-bemoaning ignores the fact that 100 years of Jim Crow has actually done more quantifiable "damage" to the U.S. black population. I would also argue that instead of addressing an institution that no longer exists, we would do better addressing the crises (e.g., poverty) that do still exist, and are decimating the black population. What is Sharpton doing that is helping anyone but himself? I also find it amusing that even I have the name "Coleman" in my family -- how does he even know it's his family involved here? How many Colemans are there in this country?