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 Judenräte,
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
