No one has been a greater critic of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas than I – as related commentaries will attest. But I was always sensible enough to appreciate that there had to be more to his character than the self-loathing media caricature of him. Never mind that Thomas has perpetuated this caricature by writing or concurring in Supreme Court decisions that are invariably inimical to blacks.
This is why I was so heartened to read about the ease with which he befriended two black high school students recently – especially the part about how he went out of his way to do them an extraordinary favor.
The story was reported online yesterday by NBC News out of Washington, DC. And since it is one of those very rare stories about which I can think of nothing critical to add, here it is without further comment:
Two Gaithersburg high school football players made friends with their travel companion on a recent flight back from Nebraska — except they didn’t know… Their seat-mate just happened to be a major Cornhuskers fan.
When they started chatting, Stephens and Ankrah didn’t have a clue they were holding court with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas…
“I was amazed this guy knew so much about us as football players and as people,” said Stephens. “That was shocking. I felt honored to be known by someone of his caliber. He was just a regular old guy, sitting in coach, which really shocked me.”
By the time the plane landed, the students had figured out who Thomas was, and they promptly told their principal they wanted to invite Thomas to give the keynote speech at their high school graduation. Of course, Principal Carole Working didn’t exactly think Thomas would take them up on it. But he showed up at the high school on Monday.
“These young men had no idea who I was as I formed my first impression. I was just another stranger to them. They were wonderful ambassadors for your school and for their fellow students,” said Thomas at the Quince Orchard graduation ceremony.
When Stephens and Ankrah arrived on-stage to receive their diplomas, they were both embraced by Justice Thomas. Ankrah will be playing football for Nebraska next year, but Stephens will be attending Stanford. The justice said he doesn’t have any hard feelings over that.
Related commentaries:
Clarence Thomas speaks…
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