A Democratic representative from Georgia has referred to Justice Clarence Thomas as an 'Uncle Tom', although he has acknowledged that he is not aware of the source of the phrase.
After the Georgia Senate gave their assent to a plan to position a statue of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas at the state Capitol in Atlanta, a Democrat from the state took to calling Thomas an "Uncle Tom" and accused him of "betraying his own community."
State Sen. Emanuel Jones stated, "I'm just trying to tell you what we have in the African American community when we talk about a person of color that goes back historically to the days of slavery and that person betraying his own community we have a term in the Black community," Emanuel Jones continued. "That term that we use is called 'Uncle Tom.' An Uncle Tom talks about a person who back during the days of slavery sold his soul to the slave masters."
Jones confessed his lack of knowledge concerning the source of the phrase "Uncle Tom," and whether or not it referred to a fictional or genuine individual. "And Uncle Tom is either a fictional or nonfictional character, I dont really know the origin of Uncle Tom, but it talks about a person who back during the days of slavery sold his soul to the slave masters."
On Tuesday, the state Senate - which is led by Republicans - cast a 32-20 vote that was in accordance with the party line, giving the go-ahead to the statute. GOP Senator Ben Watson, who brought forward the motion, praised Georgia-born Thomas as a hero.
Watson declared, "Clarence Thomas has lived a life marked by tremendous achievement." "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."
Democrats however had a different take on Thomas.
Sen. Nan Orrock from Atlanta commented "his service is problematic," referring to the sexual harassment allegations against him from 1991, saying, "There's a cloud over his service and that cloud continues today."
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