Sharpton visits ancestral grave at Thurmond birthplace
EDGEFIELD, S.C. -- The Rev. Al Sharpton traveled Monday to Strom Thurmond's birthplace to visit the grave of a Thurmond relative who held one of Sharpton's ancestors as a slave.
Sharpton's trip to this rural town also included a visit to a cemetery where slaves are buried in graves marked only by small stones. He urged all blacks to explore their histories despite "the ugly things it might reveal."
The civil rights leader recently learned of his family's link to that of Thurmond, a segregationist who later softened his stance before he died in 2003. When he found out, Sharpton called it "probably the most shocking thing in my life" and wants a DNA test to see if their families were linked by blood.
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Sharpton's trip to this rural town also included a visit to a cemetery where slaves are buried in graves marked only by small stones. He urged all blacks to explore their histories despite "the ugly things it might reveal."
The civil rights leader recently learned of his family's link to that of Thurmond, a segregationist who later softened his stance before he died in 2003. When he found out, Sharpton called it "probably the most shocking thing in my life" and wants a DNA test to see if their families were linked by blood.