Cruz: Give Clarence Thomas a place in the African-American museum
Sen. Ted Cruz says the new African-American museum honoring black history has made "a mistake" by not featuring Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
"As much as I am grateful for the museum and its efforts to preserve and promote the indispensable, yet oft-neglected, contributions of African Americans to the collective history of our nation, I believe the museum has made a mistake by omitting the enormous legacy and impact of Justice Thomas, as well as his compelling background," the Texas Republican wrote Monday to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.
Thomas has been on the high for 25 years, making him the longest serving African-American justice on the Supreme Court.
But there is no direct mention in the new museum of Thomas' position.
"To be clear, I am not petitioning for a partisan hagiography of Justice Thomas, nor am I asking that everything critical of him be excluded. I am simply requesting that a fair and accurate portrayal of his powerful story be included, for the great benefit of millions of future museum-goers," Cruz wrote.
Apparently he's there, but only because of the controversy over Anita Hill. Evidently, he's not the right kind of black guy who deserves to be mentioned in the museum. Go figure.
Turley's blog notes:
Linda St. Thomas, chief spokesperson for the Smithsonian, insisted that it was just not a story that made the cut among the stories to be told: “There are many compelling personal stories about African Americans who have become successful in various fields, and, obviously, Associate Justice Thomas is one of them. However, we cannot tell every story in our inaugural exhibitions.” Really? But Anita Hill is such a story? I am not taking away from Hill or taking sides in their dispute. Yet, Thomas should have been on the top of any objective list of the great achievers among contemporary African American figures.
That is a story that should feature prominently in any museum on American leaders. The American public funded half of the cost of this $540 million museum and gave the museum a prime location on the mall. It should expect better.
