‘The View’: Sunny Hostin Says MLK Actually Dreamed of Reparations for Black Americans: ‘People Misinterpret His Legacy’ (Video)

“He was deeply invested in economic equality,” Hostin said

While reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin highlighted King’s push for reparations for Black Americans.

“I think that we have a long way to go. I think there’s been progress, certainly,” Hostin said during Monday morning’s episode of “The View,” adding that she feels a large portion or people overlook King’s other wishes for the betterment of the Black community, including financial freedom and educational equality.  

“I think the biggest problem with Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy is that people misinterpret his legacy. They misinterpret what he was asking for,” Hostin continued. “He was the FBI’s most hated person in America, and a 17,000-page FBI file was put together at the time of his death. So, while we always hear this, ‘I want girls and boys to be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin,’ – that’s all you ever hear anyone saying. He was a radical. He was deeply invested in economic equality. And he was deeply invested in making sure that Black people got reparations, and that there was wealth distribution — redistribution.” 

Aug. 23, 2023, will mark 60 years since King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of thousands in Washington, D.C. During his speech, King called not only for Black Americans to be treated equally but for the systems that have been built to hinder them from progression to be brought down. 

Hostin continued: “That’s the one area, when we talk about diversity, when we talk about inclusion and when we talk about equity – people are real comfortable with talking about diversity, they’re real comfortable about inclusion. But when you ask them about giving us some reparations because this country was built on the backs of Black people for free, no one wants to talk about that.”

“That was a big part of his dream and his legacy,” she said of King. “So, in that respect, I’m really disappointed that it’s 60 years later and the disparity between a white household and a Black household is going to take 200 years for economic equality.” 

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