Every now and then, I’m amazed at the revelations that come out of “Finding Your Roots” with scholar, historian, and The Root founder Henry Louis “Skip” Gates. This latest one is no different.
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Earlier this month, NFL superstar Tony Gonzalez found out that he and longtime “The View” cohost Whoopi Goldberg were “distant cousins,” with them sharing DNA on Gonzalez’s mom’s father’s side. On Monday’s episode of “The View,” Gonzalez and Goldberg at long last had their “family reunion.”
“Cousin Whoopi! Cousin Whoopi,” Gonzalez said, with Goldberg responding, “That’s my blood right there.”
When cohost Anna Navarro teased that Gonzalez was probably the family member that could pop up and not be in Goldberg’s will, the former Kansas City Chiefs star jokingly denied it and instead embraced the possibility of being included.
Most interesting is the familial link that ties Gonzalez and Goldberg together, tracing all the way back to slavery days.
Gonzalez shared that he and Goldberg were connected through a former enslaved man on his grandfather’s side named George Betts, who tried to run away to keep from being sold away from his wife and child, but was later recaptured. However, luck would turn in his favor as slavery was abolished in the United States not too long after he came back.
Betts went to become part of a militia dedicated to protecting Black people from racist attacks and one of only 5 percent of slaves who were able to buy property post-slavery.
“This guy was tough,” Gonzalez said. “And it’s just amazing. He was elected a major for a militia to protect Black people, because a lot of White people weren’t happy that slavery was ended...This is just a strong man. This is who you’re related to, who I’m related to. A strong, stubborn person.”
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