A Republican congressman said Friday that the failure of The National Museum of African American History and Culture to highlight the accomplishments of conservative black Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is evidence of “racism” by progressives.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R- Kan., wrote a tweet Friday that includes a link to an opinion piece arguing that Justice Thomas is “conspicuously absent” from the new, federally funded Smithsonian Institution museum that features several trailblazing African-American icons.
It is racism by the Left that an African American man cannot be a principled, constitutional conservative Leader. https://t.co/OAfbTeHHrj
— Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) October 7, 2016
Justice Thomas rose from poverty to the highest court in the land and succeeded civil rights leader Thurgood Marshall to become the second black justice in the nation’s history. But many say Thomas is less prominent in the museum than the black woman who accused him of sexual harassment, Anita Hill. Thomas, who was appointed by George H.W. Bush, was narrowly confirmed in 1990 by the Senate in a 52-48 vote.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established by an Act of Congress in 2003 and President George W. Bush endorsed building it on the National Mall. The museum, which was opened to the public last month, “seeks to understand American history through the lens of the African-American experience.”
