A group of black Republican lawmakers and political figures sent a letter to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture calling for a more noteworthy tribute to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
The letter, which was penned by newly elected Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, was signed by Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, Dr. Alveda King, and Kay Coles James, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation, among others.
“Clarence Thomas, associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, is a notable figure in Black history and American history as one of only two Black men to serve on the nation’s highest court,” Donalds wrote in a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Examiner.
The letter contrasted the exhibit honoring Thomas with that of the late Justice Thurgood Marshall, the high court’s only other black member, arguing that the tribute to the latter outshines that celebrating the former.
“As a Black man who has a profound respect for the contributions Justice Thomas has propitiated for generations to come, this museum must encapsulate his life as it does for hundreds of other monumental Black figures,” adding the exhibit “as it stands today … falls short” on conveying his “achievements and life compared to his counterpart, the Honorable Justice Thurgood Marshall.”
Like Donalds, Owens, a fellow freshman member, identified political bias as a potential motive for the museum’s differing treatment of Marshall and Thomas.
“As one of the only two Black men to serve on our nation’s highest and most distinguished court, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas deserves unbiased recognition from the National Museum of African American History and Culture,” Owens told Fox News while asking that the museum “appropriately honor the continued legacy of Justice Thomas, especially as we celebrate Black History Month and the many trailblazers who faced the odds to secure the dreams of future generations.”
Thomas, who’s the second black American to serve on the Supreme Court following Marshall’s term, was afforded an exhibit in 2017 after the only mention of the man in the museum was from Anita Hill, who accused him of sexual assault during his 1991 confirmation hearing. The justice denied the allegations and said Hill’s narrative was an attempt to derail his chance at a seat on the court.
Thomas’s current display includes photographs capturing his induction into the Supreme Court as well as his time at the College of the Holy Cross. The exhibit compares him to Marshall and details how Marshall advocated for judicial action while Thomas supported restraint.
Before the Thomas exhibit was added, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas lambasted the museum for the omission.
“I became deeply disturbed upon learning that Justice Thomas’s moving story and incredible contributions to the country are not even mentioned, much less discussed in detail, in the new museum,” Cruz said.
Thomas himself also criticized the Smithsonian in 2019, claiming the depiction of his view on affirmative action was false after a student asked him about the exhibit.
“They said the exhibit said my views on affirmative action result from my going to various schools in my youth. The young woman, young student, said, ‘Is that true?’ I said, ‘No.’ They said, ‘Did they talk to you before they put the exhibition up?’ I said, ‘Never.’ ‘Have you seen it?’ I said, ‘Nope. I’ve never seen it. I have no idea where it came from,'” Thomas recalled.
The students reportedly mischaracterized the text of the exhibit, which featured a memoir from Thomas about his time at Yale Law School, according to the Washington Post.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner at the time of publishing.
