February 2017 is the 41st anniversary of the celebration of Black History month. The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened just five months ago on September 24, 2016. Justice Clarence Thomas, the only African American currently sitting on the U.S. Supreme Court, celebrated the 25th anniversary of his appointment to the Court in October 2016 as the longest sitting African American Judge on the Court.
If you were “connecting the dots” in this line of thought, you would arrive at the conclusion that in this month when the entire nation honors the innumerable contributions made by the community of African Americans to our national narrative, and given the years of wisdom and integrity which Justice Thomas has brought to this court, that he would be one of the centerpieces of honor highlighted within the magnificent halls of the beautiful African American History museum.
Although there are many people of color who are held in places of distinction and honor inside this museum, only three have reached the highest levels of achievement in our nation’s government - Justice Thomas, Justice Thurgood Marshall, and former President Barack Obama. The only mention made of Justice Clarence Thomas among this vast display of more than 37,000 artifacts is a derogatory reference to him in the highlighted testimony of Anita Hill wherein she tried to convince the U.S. Senate committee that Judge Thomas, Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals of Washington D.C. circuit at the time, was not fit to be appointed to the Supreme Court Bench.
When a spokesperson for the museum was asked why Justice Thomas was not given any place of recognition in the museum, she said they only had room for a “certain number” of stories and further they had no plans to honor him in any way. They had plenty of room to mention Anita Hill, even a “political” button with her name on display. There were stories about the Black Panther organization, and the Black Lives Matter movement, but no room for Justice Clarence Thomas.
I don’t usually become political in these Wednesday columns, but when the partisan political bias is so blatant it is not possible to ignore, I have to state the fact that Justice Clarence Thomas is a conservative black judge, and that doesn’t fit in with the current political agenda of the left.
I sat through every moment of the Congressional hearings on the confirmation of JudgeThomas in the summer of 1991. I was totally mesmerized by the Constitutional issues raised during the process and by the grace and calmness exhibited by the Judge when he was accused of sexual harassment by Anita Hill in such a vile and despicable manner.
Since those hearings, Justice Thomas has been my hero. I admire him, respect him, and honor him, and during my writing career I have had to refrain from writing about him as often as I would like for fear of boring my readers. I have studied everything that he has written and that has been written about him. I feel such personal pain for him when I think how hurtful this snub by the Museum must be for him and his beautiful wife. This is part of the Smithsonium museum complex and the Chancellor for the Smithsonium is Chief Justice John Roberts. We must ask why Justice Roberts has allowed this museum to fail to recognize the achievements of his associate on the Court.
The following was written by Robert Charles, former U.S. Court of Appeals clerk, instructor at Harvard University and former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell.
“Clearly, (Justice Thomas) is a thinker whose still waters run deep. His past, earliest days in poverty, raised by a strong mother and principled (although illiterate) grandfather, gifted him with unusual insight, a thoughtful blend of patience and passion, inner peace and aspiration for the truth, doggedness, strength of character, and intergenerational perspective.”
“His mental flexibility, verbal fluidity and depth of knowledge on how, when, in what sequence, by what historical forces, and why our Constitutional rights holds us together was powerful, even spellbinding. His grasp of our Constitution was rooted in mastery of case and statutory law, American and British history.”
Charles goes on to say that “there sits on the High Bench a mind profoundly grounded in historic understandings and timeless conservative principles...(a) powerful, compelling, conservative voice...”
It is such a “travesty of justice”(literally) that the millions of visitors, especially school students, who will come to this museum which is a trust entity for the benefit of the American people, will not have access to this knowledge about this great Supreme Court Justice. |
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Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. (Melody Beattie) Americans need a day dedicated to gratitude. I have noticed that in the lineup of most of our holidays that Thanksgiving is perhaps the one least given over to secularism - the one we still observe in a traditional fashion. We need it to keep our focus clear and to teach our children what it means to be thankful for family, friendship and faith. We need a time to gather around the table with extended family and enjoy turkey and dressing and gravy, two kinds of potatoes, cranberries, hot rolls, green bean casserole, pumpkin pie and whipped cream. We need it, not for the calories, but to create an awareness that there are those who don’t have those blessings, because in the hectic pace of our everyday lives we tend to forget those in need. Family and food are important, but above all else, Americans need a rededication to our faith. Faith brought the pilgrims to the ne...
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