https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=152&v=UZ5-sKDIEPY
“The View”‘s Whoopi Goldberg and others are throwing their support behind Sunny Hostin after the former prosecutor fought back tears describing the racist abuse she and her friends suffered while vacationing over the Fourth of July holiday.
Hostin said she and a group of friends rented a beachfront cottage in a historically Black community, as her family has done for years, to celebrate Independence Day. Their night was disrupted, however, by a large group of teens who began hurling racial slurs at them.
“We were there celebrating, and some kids, about 20 of them, ran in front of our home, and started yelling the N-word at us,” Hostin recalled of the incident. “I have a video, of sort of the aftermath, when we realized they were targeting us.”
In the clip, Hostin is heard confronting the teens, asking if they were the ones yelling the N-word. The teens denied it was them and another of group of teens who’d left the area minutes earlier.
Still, Hostin said she decided to call the police and file a police report.
“The police were wonderful,” she said. “They responded — they were just as outraged as we were.”
Reflecting on the incident, Hostin described the teens’ behavior as disturbing, noting that their words sent a poignant message about Independence Day.
“They said, ‘This is America, we are patriots, this is our holiday’ — things like that,” she explained. ” … You know, the African-American community does have a feeling, many of my friends included, on July 4th because African-Americans weren’t emancipated on July 4th. They weren’t independent then.”
Hostin said she later learned the teens had come from out of town to the historically Black beach community specifically to harass African-American beachgoers. She said she and her friends felt threatened and were shaken up by the whole ordeal.
“This area is supposed to be a safe haven, a place of pride,” she said.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg said the experience proved racism was still alive and well.
“People come up and say, ‘Well, you know, you all thought that once Obama came — I say, ‘No, I never thought that,’” Goldberg chimed in. “ … Racism doesn’t work that way. It’s in pockets, it’s in places. All you can do is face it when it hits you.”
Hostin said the harrowing incident resulted in physical damage.
“They broke my paddle board, they were kind of violent,” she said.
Hostin’s story drew plenty of reactions from fans.
Being black: I don’t care how many degrees we have, who we’re married to, our status, famous or not or the zip that we live in, does not exempt us from being called the ‘N’ word. #WakeUpandStayWokeMyPpl
— Lolo4N’awlins (@loisgrs) July 9, 2018
Those are two completely different things! There is a massive difference between blatantly racist behaviour which has no place in civilised society, and calling politicians out for their actions! It is never ok to go up to someone and call them the N word. Period!
— Aoife Heffernan (@Aoifs22) July 10, 2018
I used to think that once all of the OLD hateful people went to their resting places, these problems would stop. I saw younger people as more open minded and accepting. How wrong I was! This is sad on so many levels….
— Mello (@mello6789) July 9, 2018
Sunny, you’re an amazing, intelligent, beautiful woman. I am so ashamed that this abhorrent behavior is pervasive in our society. Love and respect from Texas❤
— Kathy Mueller (@Lollyroxy79) July 10, 2018
Watch more in the video clip above.
