From Thurgood Marshall to Clarence Thomas

I saw the movie Marshall on the first day of its widespread release in 2017 and was assaulted with impressions. I went to a matinee in a dying mall in West Orlando, where audiences tend to be mostly black. There were thirty people at this showing, mostly in their 50s and older, people familiar with Thurgood Marshall, at least as a Supreme Court Justice. It starred the late Chadwick Boseman, and if you’re a fan of his and haven’t seen it, I’m sure it’s streaming somewhere.

The movie itself was very entertaining, humorous in parts, and revolved around an actual trial in Bridgeport, CT, where a black man was accused of the rape of a white socialite. I hope that those who watch the film will not only cheer the heroic Marshall in the movie but go on to learn more about the fantastic work he and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund did to fight for the rights we now take for granted. I want them to read the Pulitzer Prize-winning Devil In The Grove about the Groveland Boys case in Florida. I wish the film to be a jumping-off point to learn more about history, more likely to be whitewashed than brought forward.

Exiting the movie, I crossed paths with a woman I recognized from the audience and asked, “How did you enjoy the film?” She said, “I got so mad toat we went from Thurgood Marshall to Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court.” We talked briefly about Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Thomas, and Ben Carson and then went our separate ways. I am still pondering how we got from a legal giant to the black Harvey Weinstein whose best quality is to speak little lest he reveals himself a fool.

Thurgood Marshall fought in small courtrooms, mostly in the South, and often alone. Sometimes, he was the only hope standing between an innocent man and execution. The NAACP and Marshall only took on cases where they believed defendants to be innocent and their arrests based on race. Marshall risked his life so that we all might benefit. His work is his legacy, of which we can all be proud.

Clarence Thomas was formerly noted for his singular lack of legal accomplishments. His greatest skill before his appointment to the Supreme Court seems to be his ability to rise within government bureaucracy, rising to the Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He all but discontinued the practice of filing/joining class action suits, instead focusing on individual cases. He complained that all that Black leaders did was “bitch, bitch, bitch” about President Reagan instead of working with him.

His nomination to the Supreme Court was confirmed by the Senate despite riveting testimony from Anita Hill and written statements from other women. Thomas himself claimed he was a victim of a “high-tech lynching,” and his biographer said Thomas was being attacked “because he was black.” As a Justice, he’s a reliable vote to uphold police brutality, voter suppression, the end of Affirmative Action, and abortion rights. In recent years, he’s been highly successful in achieving his goals despite the opinions of the American public.

As shown in the film Marshall, Thurgood Marshall sacrificed much in the pursuit of equal justice under the law. He served as the first Black Supreme Court Justice and will forever be a legal giant.

Thomas knows nothing of sacrifice. He has greatly enriched himself, recently disclosing receipt of over $4 million in gifts from his billionaire friends since 2004. He is an embarrassment, ultimately becoming a barrier to progress instead of an example.

“The liberals made my life miserable for 43 years. And I’m going to make their lives miserable for 43 years.” — Clarence Thomas

Thomas is reaching retirement age. He was 43 when he made the above statement, which would require him to serve eleven more years. Here’s hoping he and Ginni decide to hop into their gifted $267,000 RV and tour the country they tried so hard to destroy. Perhaps his replacement will be more in the Thurgood Marshall mold that was once the standard.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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