“America’s Most Influential Thinker on Race”

“The principal point Justice Thomas has made in a variety of cases is that black people deserve to be treated as independent, competent, self-sufficient citizens. He rejects the idea that 21st-century government and the courts should continue to view blacks as victims of a history of slavery and racism.

Instead, in an era with a rising number of blacks, Hispanics, Asians and immigrants, he cheers personal responsibility as the basis of equal rights. In his concurring opinion in Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena (1995), he made the case against government set-asides for minority businesses by arguing that “racial paternalism and its unintended consequences can be as poisonous and pernicious as any other form of discrimination.” The Constitution, he said, bans discrimination by “those who wish to oppress a race or by those who have a sincere desire to help.””

I mean, I don’t agree (we don’t need to squash victimhood into the need for supportive policy), but this is an interesting way to describe him. And I would be genuinely interested to know where he places systemic racism and white supremacy — like, I am sure that he has interesting thoughts about the way to erode those systems.

Related: “UP FROM LEEDS: The people, the place and the privilege that made Charles Barkley a role model”