Against the Grain

Clarence Thomas’ America

Clarence Thomas is Donald Trump’s favorite Supreme Court justice, which might confirm the liberal view that Thomas is simply a toady of the right.  But scholar Corey Robin argues that Thomas is a complex thinker and skilled rhetorician, whose ideas originate in black nationalism.  Robin reflects on how Thomas’ pessimism about the intractability of racism speaks uneasily to our times. (Encore presentation.)

Resources:

Corey Robin, The Enigma of Clarence Thomas  Metropolitan Books, 2019