Critical Race Theorist and former member of the Black Panthers Angela Davis was in disbelief when she found out that she had an ancestor who came to America on the Mayflower.
Davis, a figure in the Critical Race Theory movement, found out on a recent episode of PBS’s show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. that she is descended from a European settler who came to the New World on the Mayflower.
“No, I can’t believe this,” Davis said, shocked by the revelation. “My ancestors did not come here on the Mayflower.” She added, “That’s a little bit too much to deal with right now,” when she found out that she was descended from William Brewster, one of the 101 people who came to the colonies on the Mayflower in 1620.
“Do you know what you’re looking at? That is a list of the passengers on the Mayflower.”
Our researchers discovered #AngelaDavis’s ancestors traveled to the US on the Mayflower and here is her reaction. #FindingYourRoots pic.twitter.com/G2HhA9BSrT
— Henry Louis Gates Jr (@HenryLouisGates) February 22, 2023
“Would you ever in your wildest dreams think that you may have been descended from the people who laid the foundation of this country?” Gates asked Davis, to which she responded “Never, never, never, never, never.”
Pilgrims departing on Mayflower (Getty Images)
Gates also revealed that Davis is a descendant of Stephen Darden, a drummer in the 4th Virginia Regiment in the 1770’s during the Revolutionary War. Darden reportedly moved to Georgia and became a slave owner.
Davis explained her thoughts and how she felt in light of the news, remarking, “I always imagined my ancestors as the people who were enslaved. My mind and my heart are swirling with all of these contradictory emotions.”
Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.
