Al Sharpton - Descendant of the Slaves of Strom Thurmond

The "Most Shocking Thing in my Life."

Al Sharpton recently found out that he is the descendant of the slaves of Strom Thurmond, the recently deceased South Carolina Senator, known for his controversial (more like blatantly racist) statements about supporting segregation in his failed attempt at the Presidency in 1948.

Sharpton found that his great grandfather, Coleman Sharpton, as well as 3 others (believed to be his wife and children) were given as a gift to Julia Thurmond, whose grandfather was the great-great-grandfather of Strom Thurmond.

"You know for real that you are three generations away from slavery," Sharpton said after being told of his history. Informed by the paper of the Thurmond connection, he wondered aloud: "Strom Thurmond's family owned my family."

"It's chilling," he said. "It's amazing," before adding "Maybe I'm the revenge of Coleman."
Thurmond, despite his bigoted presidential fight and slanted past, also may have had an illegitimate child with an African American maid named Carrie Butler, who died shortly before his segregationist campaign. Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the daughter, announced this after Thurmond's death in 2003, so it has been difficult to verify. However, it suggests that Thurmond may have been the Ted Haggard of Racism.