CNN anchor Don Lemon couldn’t speak after being told by a royal commentator that reparations are required, but they should be requested from African chiefs for selling their slaves to slavery.
Lemon spoke to Hilary Fordwich about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. He suggested that the British royal family pay reparations.
Lemon explained: “Well this is coming when…all of this wealth, you hear about, comes as England confronts rising costs of living. A living crisis. Austerity budget cuts.
“And then there are those asking for reparations to colonialism. They’re asking, you know? $100 billion, $24 trillion here and there, 500 million there.
Some people are eager to repay the debt and others are asking, “Why are you suffering?” Those are legitimate concerns.’
Fordwich replied: “Well, I believe you’re correct about reparations as a matter of whether people desire it. You always have to return to the origin of a supply network, which is where it began.
“That happened in Africa and it was when the whole world was experiencing slavery. Was there a nation which abolished slavery in the entire world? William Wilberforce was responsible for creating it.
“In Great Britain they abolished slavery. 2 000 Naval officers died trying to end slavery on the high seas. Why? Why?
‘And I think you’re totally right. If reparations needs to be paid, we need to go right back to the beginning of that supply chain and say, ‘who was rounding up their own people and having them handcuffed in cages? Absolutely. That’s where they should start.
‘And maybe, I don’t know, the descendants of those families where they died at the in the high seas trying to stop the slavery, that those families should receive something too I think at the same time.’
Don Lemon, CNN anchor, interviewed Hilary Fordwich about Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral. According to the anchor, slavery reparations should be paid by the royal family
Lemon and Fordwich had their interview on the night of Queen’s funeral
After Fordwich’s reply, Lemon ended the interview and stated that it was an ‘interesting discussion’
Lemon was immediately stunned when the royal commentator responded and he concluded his interview.
Lemon stated, “It’s an interesting conversation.” ‘Thank you so much, I appreciate it. The discussion will continue in the future.
The first nation to end slavery indefinitely was Britain.
Other countries had limited trade bans. However, the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 in the UK abolished all commerce.
African leaders had a role in helping to trade their people to European countries when the need grew.
Portuguese could purchase African slaves held since tribal wars. Britannica states that Africans also carried slaves along the coast to sell to Europeans.
Fordwich, a royal commentator and global business consultant is also a regular contributor to the media according her Women’s Media Center profile.
Fordwich has been designated a “national royal watcher” for several networks including CNN, CBS and Sunday Morning. Fordwich has reported on every royal wedding from William to Kate.
Interview with royal commentator Lemon came days after CNN revealed Lemon was retiring from nighttime primetime to make way for a morning show with Poppy Harlow, Kaitlan Collins.
Many on Twitter suggested that Lemon’s failure to reply to Fordwich may have been due to CNN’s ‘new policy’ to not bash conservatives, but to deliver ‘fair information’ in the wake of the layoffs of prominent liberal journalists.
Lemon addressed CNN for the first-time on Thursday, referring to the latest restructuring as a promotion. Following the firing of his overly critical colleagues about Donald Trump and his GOP, Lemon maintained that the network didn’t force him to alter his left-leaning views.
‘This is not someone saying you must move to the right, Don Lemon, and must not give so much of your perspective. Lemon stated that none of this has occurred. All of it is fodder to Twitter.
“I wasn’t demoted. It was all a joke. It is an opportunity. It is an offer.
Kaitlan Collins (left), Poppy Harlow(right) will join Lemon on Lemon’s new morning show.
Chris Licht, CEO of CNN (above), called the trio “compelling” and “reliable”, as CNN undergoes a shift in its operations. Licht is leading the purge against journalist who are critical of the GOP
Lemon’s new show with Harlow, Collins and Collins will take over the “New Day” program hosted by John Berman. It runs between 6 and 9 AM.
As CNN’s CEO Chris Licht seeks to eliminate ‘opinion-based political news’ anchors, and avoid shaming conservatives and their party, the call will be one of the biggest decisions he makes.
Since Licht promised to restore trust by making CNN reliable again, the network has been dismantling its reputation as a trusted media source. He also stopped the denigration of Republicans.
This new trend has led to the dismissal of many CNN hosts including John Harwood (and Brian Stelter) and their shows.
Licht warned CNN employees that there were changes coming to their network. He previously said that they wouldn’t understand or like the new network.