Very sad to see politics trump historical significance, as appears to have happened in this case. Whether you agree with his legal positions or not, Justice Thomas is unquestionably one of the most consequential African-Americans of our times. He has served honorably on the Supreme Court for 25 years, and his life story is truly inspiring. Yet liberals regularly subject Justice Thomas to scorn because he does not conform to their monolithic conception of how black people ought to think. It’s beyond ironic that the African-American History Museum would be a party to this shameful racial stereotyping.
Henry, I appreciate the intent, but aren’t you doing exactly what you accuse liberals of doing to the Justice? You’re assigning a monolithic kind of thinking to a pretty wide swath of people. Personally, my distaste for him has less to do with his opinions — he never asks questions from the bench, so one can’t be put off by his manner or tone — than with lingering questions about his conduct at the EEOC. It’s a he said/she said, and only the two people in that room know the truth. But I’d suggest that Anita Hill was treated brutally by Thomas boosters during those hearings, and had a much tougher burden of proof. Her reputation took years to rebuild…even liberals like Joe Biden were mean-spirited and challenged her veracity. I suggest that, given today’s heightened awareness around sexual misconduct, from verbal harassment to physical assault, the doubt surrounding his conduct would have denied him a confirmation. Maybe he benefited from the affirmative action he rails so ardently against, in that the Senate was afraid to deny confirmation because he’s African-American? BTW, is Anita Hill included in the museum? If so, Justice Thomas must get a mention. Or was she marginalized as well? I’d suggest that her testimony was ground-breaking in helping a male-dominated culture understand what harassment feels like. In her way, and for millions of women, her role was as historic as his. If you’ve never been hit on or ogled in the workplace, you have no idea how debasing that can be. Anita Hill brought that to light and took the bullet for all of us women. Perhaps he is a brilliant jurist, but I’m still not sure about what kind of person he is.
Yes, Anita Hill got prominent attention at the museum. That’s part of the obvious political bias here.
Exactly how was he slighted? Please clarify!
As discussed in the article linked to this post, the museum basically ignores Thomas while giving significant play to Anita Hill.
Perhaps the incusion of Thurgood Marshall covered it, considering the limited space of the museum only allows for the allocation of one Supreme Court Justice slot?