Georgia lawmakers want to put a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, a Georgia native, at the state capital.
However there is major pushback from a coalition of Democrats that are calling him
an “Uncle Tom” who “sold his soul to the slave master.”According to the Associated Press, the state senate voted 32-20 to have a statue of Thomas. Democrats have pushed back, pushing for a statue of civil rights activist John Lewis.
Republican Ben Watson spoke to the AP about Thomas.
“This native son of Georgia deserves a place of honor and recognition on our Capitol grounds, a place where future generations of Georgians can learn valuable lessons from his legacy and gain inspiration and belief that their lofty dreams are obtainable too in America, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born,” Watson said.
Democrats are arguing that Thomas shouldn’t be celebrated because of Anita Hill‘s 1991 testimony that she was sexually harassed by Thomas. She recounted several inappropriate comments Thomas made toward here when they were colleagues. But most of Hill’s claims were disregarded.
“His service is problematic,” Sen. Nan Orrock told the AP. “There’s a cloud over his service…and that cloud continues today.”
“There are citizens, probably members of this body, that take issue with his policies when he was governor or president, but we respect history,” said Sen. Jason Anavitarte, a Republican from Dallas.”
Democrats also pointed out that Thomas urged others to overturn rulings that protected same-sex marriage.
Sen. Emanuel Jones, a Democrat, referred to Thomas as an “Uncle Tom” on the Senate floor.
“When we think of a person in the Black community who is accomplished, but yet whose policies seek to subvert—some would even say suppress—the achievements and accomplishments of people of color, I couldn’t help but think about that term,” Jones said, according to Law and Crime.
Political writer Elie Mystal said Thomas is more complicated than Harriet Beecher Stowe character’s Uncle Tom from her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.