To describe Clarence Thomas as just another Black conservative is like reducing Oprah to the occupation of talk show host. Your average talk show host isn't at the head of a billion dollar global empire and your run-of-the-mill Black conservative doesn't become one of the most Constitutionally powerful men in the nation.
For many, Justice Thomas has served as the poster child for Black folks who work against the interest of other Black folks (and every dictum of justice and good sense) to advance their careers, or worse, their bank accounts.
But let those Thomas-torturers lay down their weapons; the man himself has taken up a pen and done more damage to his reputation than any of us ever could. For a guided tour of his new memoirs, you should turn to Kai Wright's genius reading of what he describes as "one of the most diminishing biographies ever penned":
Many will read My Grandfather's Son as a cynical attempt to rewrite history, and it is that, to be sure. But it is more. The reason Thomas' rage outstrips his remarkable professional and political achievements is that his confirmation shattered the thin armor he'd donned for navigating America's "paranoid color wheel" as an ambitious black man -- namely, that through unceasing toil and a blind embrace of "the rules," he could eclipse, if not defeat white supremacy.
You can find the rest on kaiwright.com or at the American Prospect....
