On a recent episode of “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin expressed her views about the congressional hearings concerning the Smithsonian Institution. She claimed these hearings were influenced by the Trump administration’s disinterest in awarding reparations to descendants of enslaved Africans.
The Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Dr. Anthea Hartig, recently responded to questions on Capitol Hill. This comes after a report from the White House labeled the museum as a “taxpayer-backed institution” engaged in “ideological capture” and “extreme political activism.”
Hostin’s Views on Reparations
Sunny Hostin suggested the hearings were fundamentally about financial reparations towards those descended from enslaved Africans. This, she argued, reflected a broader effort during the Trump administration to modify historical narratives, thereby avoiding the financial obligations to those who were forced into labor that significantly contributed to building the nation.
Even after 250 years, there’s so much repair that needs to be done when it comes to aggrieved groups in this country, but especially African Americans,
Hostin noted. She emphasized that truth and reconciliation commissions, which have been applied to interned Japanese Americans, Holocaust survivors, and Native Americans, have yet to address slavery. She argued that acknowledging the truth is essential for genuine reconciliation and financial reparations.
United Nations Vote on the Slave Trade
Hostin also referenced a 2026 vote by the United Nations General Assembly. This vote declared the transatlantic slave trade as “the gravest crime against humanity.” Notably, the U.S., Argentina, and Israel voted against it, while 123 countries supported it, and 52 abstained.
She cited U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea, who stated that the U.S. does not recognize a legal right to reparations for historical actions that were not illegal under international law at the time. Hostin interpreted this stance as an attempt to avoid financial obligations to African Americans.
Personal Background
Hostin’s appearance on the PBS show “Finding Your Roots” revealed that her ancestry includes a slaveholder, which she found shocking. The revelation came from Henry Louis Gates Jr., who identified one of Hostin’s maternal ancestors as likely involved in the slave trade in colonial Spain. Hostin’s maternal and paternal backgrounds are Puerto Rican and Black, respectively. Her husband shares connections to Spain, which offers a shared cultural heritage for their children.
Recently, Hostin faced criticism for comments expressing unease in neighborhoods displaying American flags.