Dear Justice Thomas:
The purpose of this letter is to
discuss with you the changes that are taking
place in this nation, and the ways in which
these changes will harm black people. More
specifically, I would like to respond to
your recent court decisions on affirmative
action and electoral redistricting. Please
do not interpret my words as antagonistic or
of ill will, as I am speaking with a sense
of honesty and truth. I believe that you
need to hear what I have to say. You need to
hear what many African-Americans are saying
as they see the ground collapsing under
their feet. Any good student of history
knows what is happening in this country, and
what will happen in the future if present
trends continue.
As a young African-American, I am
proud of my achievements. I am a Harvard
graduate, a former Westinghouse
semi-finalist, and a former exchange student
to Japan. Although I was diligent and
capable, I know that I do not owe my
accomplishments to myself. I was not granted
access to opportunities because I am special
or superior. I went to Harvard because that
road had been paved with the blood of those
courageous people who died for my
opportunity to attend Harvard. Certainly, I
was as qualified as my white classmates (and
more qualified than those who were admitted
because their grandfather is a wealthy
Harvard alumnus).
Qualified people of African descent
always existed in this country, but were
denied opportunity because of race. (Even
Alexander Hamilton was denied admission to
Princeton because his mother was a mulatto.)
Significant numbers of blacks and other
groups began to attend predominantly white
institutions only after efforts were made to
recruit and admit them. These efforts are
affirmative action. Why should members of
one group have all of the admissions spots,
all of the jobs, all of the federal
contracts and all of the congressional
districts?
In many ways, history is repeating
itself. One hundred years ago, blacks had
made substantial gains following the Civil
War, including two dozen members of
Congress, governors and state legislators.
Suddenly, all of that disappeared, not
because of black ineptitude, but because of
white racism, the tyranny of the majority.
In the eyes of many, blacks were becoming
too equal. Blacks did not deserve
citizenship, including the right to exercise
political and economic power. The result of
this sentiment was states’ rights, Jim Crow,
the Klan, and lynchings. The Constitution,
so it seems, has never applied to black
people. Thus, the history of this nation has
been a struggle in which we have been forced
to demand that we not be treated as
outcasts.
The rejection of Cynthia McKinney’s
district raises some questions. Why are you
against the right of black people to elect
their own representatives? Why are you
seemingly fighting the interests of your own
people? What makes a 60% black district
unacceptable, but a 90% white district
acceptable? Why are all of those irregularly
shaped white districts acceptable? Why have
some southern states recently elected their
first black representatives since
Reconstruction? Why are there only two black
representatives from majority white
districts, and one black senator? If you are
not unaware of the pervasiveness of racism
in this country, past and present, then you
choose not to concern yourself with it. As
Cornel West recently warned: “John Jay
Chapman said it well when he said, ‘White
supremacy is like a serpent wrapped around
the legs of the table upon which the
Founding Fathers wrote the Declaration of
Independence.’ To talk about race in America
is to take us to the very heart, the very
core, of what it means to be American.”
Of course, you are entitled to your
opinion. African-Americans are not
monolithic. Further, as a member of the
Supreme Court with a lifetime job, you have
the freedom to vote as your conscience
dictates. However, you do not have the moral
right to vote in the spirit of Chief Justice
Roger Taney in the Dred Scott decision, or
the majority opinion in Plessy v. Ferguson.
I do not know what is in your heart, and can
only speculate about your motive.
Nevertheless, I do know that many in the
black community are concerned that you have
drifted away, never to return. You were
raised in this country as a black man, and
should know better.
When I observe the state of 1995
America, I am reminded of another country in
another time. That nation was suffering from
economic problems and social despair. The
Angry White Men of that nation had to blame
someone for their misfortunes and suffering,
and selected the Jews as the personification
of their problems. The majority society
claimed that the Jews were taking all of the
jobs, and were responsible for poverty,
moral degradation and social decline. Laws
were enacted to isolate, oppress, and
eventually dispose of the minority group.
Some Jews, the Judenraten, participated in
the oppression of their own people, perhaps
in an attempt to immunize themselves from
personal harm. Of course, these individuals
soon learned that their attempt was in vain,
that they were being utilized by the
majority society, and that they too would
perish.
Justice Thomas, if I sound harsh it
is because of the harsh conditions that the
Supreme Court is creating. If you are still
angry about the confirmation hearings, move
beyond your anger. Unlike Henry Foster, you
were afforded a floor vote in the Senate. If
you are angry at black people for what they
call you, prove that they are wrong. Concern
yourself more with how the historians will
judge your tenure on the Court. We are
approaching the twenty-first century, yet
seem to be regressing back to the
nineteenth. During a time of increasing
diversity in the United States, we cannot
afford to return to the ignorant backwater
days of Jim Crow. Moreover, we cannot allow
a black man to lead the way.
Sincerely,
David A. Love
Note: Unfortunately, what Mr. Love
wrote 27 years ago is even more true today.
