Black Academics Denounce ‘Racist’ Attacks on Justice Clarence Thomas

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas sits during a group photograph of the justices at the Supreme Court in Washington on April 23, 2021. Erin Schaff/AFP via Getty Images

A group of black academics has denounced the “racist, vicious, and ugly personal attacks” against Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas since he sided with the majority in overturning Roe v. Wade.

In a letter published last week, the academics wrote that “whether it is calling him a racist slur, an ‘Uncle Tom’ or questioning his ‘blackness’ over his jurisprudence, the disparagement of this man, of his faith and of his character, is abominable.”

“White progressives do not have the moral authority to excommunicate a black man from his race because they disagree with him,” the letter continued to say.

Those who signed the measure include Woodson Center founder Robert Woodson Sr., Brown University professor Glenn Loury, Hoover Institute research fellow Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Seeking Educational Excellence head Charles Love, and Havre de Grace’s W. Barclay Allen.

“Regardless of where one stands on Justice Thomas’ personal or legal opinions, he is among the pantheon of black trailblazers throughout American history and is a model of integrity, scholarship, steadfastness, resilience, and commitment to the Constitution of the United States of America,” the letter, published by RealClearPolitics, added. “For three decades Justice Thomas has served as a model for our children. He has long been honored and celebrated by black people in this country and his attackers do not speak for the majority of blacks.”

The academics asserted that their letter isn’t “about the content of the court’s decisions or Justice Thomas’ personal views,” adding that they are speaking out “to condemn these attacks and support Justice Thomas, because to remain silent would be to implicitly endorse these poisonous schemes as well as his destruction.”

Threats

It comes as a California man accused of planning to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh is asking the court to suppress his confessions and any other statements he made to law enforcement after being arrested outside Kavanaugh’s home last month.

Nicholas John Roske, of Simi Valley, allegedly confessed to two law enforcement officers—a Montgomery County, Maryland police detective and an FBI agent—in addition to sharing his intent to harm the justice with a 911 dispatcher.

Roske’s attempt comes as left-wing groups have continually called for the harassment of Thomas, Kavanaugh, and other Republican-appointed justices, including Justices Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett, Samuel Alito, and John Roberts.

Left-wing group ShutDownDC wrote in a recent Twitter post that Washington, D.C.-area service workers should “DM us with the details” if they see the justices dining anywhere. “We’ll venmo you $50 for a confirmed sighting and $200 if they’re still there 30 mins after your message,” it wrote.