The Georgia state Senate has approved a proposal to erect a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, making him the second Black justice on the Court to be honored in this way. The bill was introduced by Senator Ben Watson, representing the district where Thomas was born. Private donations will fund the statue.
Senator Watson described Justice Thomas as a man whose life has been “marked by tremendous achievement” and stated that he deserves a place of honor and recognition where his accomplishments can inspire future generations. However, not all members of the Court should have an honored place in history. Justice Thomas’s legacy is far from straightforward, and his history on the Court has been mired in controversy from his nomination onwards.
Anita Hill testified about the sexual harassment she alleges she suffered at Thomas’s hands. In addition, his record on civil rights has been criticized, and he has been accused of being stubborn in his refusal to recuse himself from matters before the Court that his wife, a political operative, has advocated on behalf of.
Democratic state Senator Emanuel Jones opposed the bill for Thomas’s statue and went for the jugular, calling the Supreme Court justice an “Uncle Tom” for “betraying his community.” Jones went on at length about the meaning he ascribed to the insult and said it referred to “a person who, back during the days of slavery, sold his soul to the enslavers.”
Jones said that Justice Thomas’s policies sought to subvert and suppress the achievements and accomplishments of people of color, making him an inappropriate candidate for a statue. Jones’s remarks suggest that Thomas has failed to advance the causes of people of color, despite being one of the few Black justices on the Supreme Court.
It remains to be seen whether the House of Representatives will approve the proposal to erect a statue of Justice Thomas in Georgia. However, the debate over the statue highlights the ongoing tensions between those who seek to recognize the achievements of Black Americans and those who believe that systemic racism continues to be a significant problem in the US.