Marvin Humes Shocking Slave Owner History | Who Do You Think You Are

Capital FM presenter, and former JLS star, Marvin Humes visits Jamaica to track down his family history. However he's shocked to discover his black ancestors were slave owners! What will he discover next?

In each episode one of Britain's best-loved celebrities traces their family tree to reveal the surprising, extraordinary and often moving stories of their ancestors.

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[bethelshiloh]

On these shows, people often feel proud or ashamed depending upon who their ancestors were. We don’t need to feel either. It is what it is. No reflection upon us.

[thenaturalhuman]

Notice how rationalizes it once he finds out the truth “ i would like to think he didn’t treat them like animals”, the “but he was a good slave owner” line seems acceptable to him now, i wonder if it was before

[nforne]

"I've got one more record for you."

Pure Columbo.

[petern]

'I would like to think he didn’t treat them like animals, but that he was a good slave owner' - brilliant, I think this is called denial.

[skippymagrue]

The really sad part is there are so many slaves in the world now and there is so little done about it.

[ericaabawe]

I could listen to that lady in the church all day - what a beautiful accent.

[ShqipeKnocksMMA]

No idea how this man is surprised about any part of his dna make up when he looks so ethnically ambiguous that he could look local in most parts of the world lol

[vagabond-yjpn]

I just found out that I am the descendent of one of the slaves that Marvins 4 x grandfather owned. I think Marvin owes me some reparations!

[MarcoMazziniYT]

This guy was shocked to learn the fact that not only whites owned slaves.
If only he studied history.

[saucywench]

8:20 That moment you realize you know nothing about history.

[bobapbob]

Race relations and slavery in the Western hemisphere is more complicated than we admit.

[JesusWins]

What about the Arab slave trade? Why are they not talked about? Or how the dominant tribes enslaved the tribes they conquered and sold them at the shore when the ships showed up to buy them. All of this can be confirmed by looking it up.

[pattyloof]

This was quite common in Louisiana also. As one of my cousins (a historian) said, "if you were rich, you owned slaves". They didn't see it as we do now. Who knows what actions we do now that our descendants will shudder at 200 years from now?

[DRAZA]

The first slaves of the world were taken by their own people. It goes back thousands of years, its terrible but we need to be honest about everything and only then can we heal each other's pain.

[iguanaman]

This is why we shouldn't judge people from the past. There's no point. Judge the man who is alive today.

[honest]

History of people is so complicated. People who bleat on about who did what to who as though they know are foolish. People who imagine themselves born in that time being beacons of present day political correctness are foolish. No, they would just be a another cog in the wheel of that time.

[TheRausing]

Fascinating. Colonial history is often so dark, and so surprising.

[mazinwonderland]

We are only answerable for our own actions, not those of our ancestors.

[glynariksherwood]

Hilarious. Went looking for oppression and found it.

[sams]

I believe that everyone should know as much about their family history as possible. I’ve always been interested in history in general and people’s history specifically. Everyone’s history creates a moment in time that people come in and out of, expanding that history into other’s lives. Some bad but mostly good. We are all intertwined. I go back to my philosophy that everyone is a book that deserves to be read, all have humor, drama, sorrow, anger, fear. Thankfully I’ve collected a substantial library (friends). What it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in quality. Each person you meet contributes to your story making it richer.