Ben Affleck has been in the news for his participation in the PBS, Skip Gates show “Finding Your Roots”. The show delves into the ancestry of modern celebrities revealing interesting stories and history of the country.

Gates and PBS discovered Affleck had a slave owning ancestor, but opted not to share this information in their segment. The reason being, Affleck asked them not to share that information with the public.

In his Facebook apology, he says ‘I was embarrassed’, but we know it is part of white history to cover up, change and white wash history of all sorts to paint them in a more favorable light.

He might have been embarrassed, but the real shame is Gates and PBS allowing the cover up. The should have pulled the entire segment, if they were going to pull something as pertinent as this from the feature.

Gates says the information was pulled not because Affleck asked, but because it wasn’t that interesting of information to share. However, the millions of African Americans in this country and many  more people would disagree with that entirely.

Nevertheless, here is Affleck’s apology.

Text of the full Facebook apology:

After an exhaustive search of my ancestry for “Finding Your Roots,” it was discovered that one of my distant relatives was an owner of slaves.

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[ADSENSE2]

I didn’t want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves. I was embarrassed. The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth.

Skip decided what went into the show. I lobbied him the same way I lobby directors about what takes of mine I think they should use. This is the collaborative creative process. Skip agreed with me on the slave owner but made other choices I disagreed with. In the end, it’s his show and I knew that going in. I’m proud to be his friend and proud to have participated.

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It’s important to remember that this isn’t a news program. Finding Your Roots is a show where you voluntarily provide a great deal of information about your family, making you quite vulnerable. The assumption is that they will never be dishonest but they will respect your willingness to participate and not look to include things you think would embarrass your family.

I regret my initial thoughts that the issue of slavery not be included in the story. We deserve neither credit nor blame for our ancestors and the degree of interest in this story suggests that we are, as a nation, still grappling with the terrible legacy of slavery. It is an examination well worth continuing. I am glad that my story, however indirectly, will contribute to that discussion.

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While I don’t like that the guy is an ancestor, I am happy that aspect of our country’s history is being talked about.

Ben Affleck

SOUND OFF: What do you think of Affleck’s apology? And do you accept it?

Source: The Grio