Smithsonian gives Clarence Thomas a spot in African American museum

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has just decided to give Clarence Thomas a display in its halls.

TheGrio Staff

Sep 28, 2017

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has just decided to give Clarence Thomas a display in its halls.

On Monday, a Smithsonian spokeswoman explained that the display honoring Thomas had gone up on Sunday, just before the one-year anniversary of the new museum. The display featured not only Thomas but also Thurgood Marshall, both of the black justices who had gone all the way to the top to sit on the Supreme Court.

–Petition launched to include Clarence Thomas in African-American museum–

Last year, the museum faced significant backlash when Thomas was not included in the museum, despite his historic significance as a Supreme Court justice. Even an “I believe Anita Hill” button was included in the museum, a reference to the woman who accused Thomas of sexual harassment, but Thomas was left out.

Conservative pundits accused the museum of having a liberal bias in choosing their displays, with Congressional Republicans calling on the museum to correct the oversight.

The controversy cropped up again last month, after the museum announced that it would be including memorabilia about Colin Kaepernick, who spearheaded the current #TakeAKnee protests, in the museum.

Now, the controversial conservative judge will be included in the museum, which also features everything from the history of slavery and civil rights to the rise of Oprah Winfrey.