Clarence Thomas Speaks at Quince Orchard H.S. Graduation

By: Angie Powell
HS129, Summer 1 2009

On June 1, 2009 I had the pleasure of hearing Justice Clarence Thomas speak at Quince Orchard High school’s graduation. When I went up on stage to receive my diploma, I, along with all my classmates, got the privilege of shaking this man’s hand. Justice Clarence Thomas was the keynote speaker at my graduation at Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. He left my peers and me with interesting and motivational words to help us in the future. After hearing what he had to say, I was interested in finding out more about this man and this gave me an opportunity to research Justice Thomas in detail. Also, the convenience that Justice Thomas was at my high school graduation also motivated me to write this post about him.
The surprised reactions and concerns that swarmed through the halls of my school when everyone found out that Thomas would be speaking at graduation were insane. Before everything, I didn’t even know who Thomas was. I was clueless. Even with no knowledge of this man, and I still felt honored that a Supreme Court Justice would take time out of his busy schedule to come talk at Quince Orchard High’s graduation. Walking from class to class, I overheard multiple opinions about Thomas. Some classmates reacted positively and were really excited the Quince Orchard managed to get a Supreme Court Justice. Others however didn’t react so positively.

The controversy that has gone on throughout Thomas’s life concerning sexual harassment charges took a toll on some of my classmates. One classmate in particular actually threatened a strike or to stand up and turn their back while Thomas was speaking. The principal of my High school, Carole Working, warned this student that they wouldn’t be able to receive their diploma if they disrespected the speaker. She couldn’t stop her from a strike since it would violate the first amendment but the strike never happened. In reaction to this classmate’s threats about what she would do at graduation, many believed she would ruin it. I remember hearing someone say “I know she has a right to free speech and everything, but she still shouldn’t ruin this day for everyone else.”

The controversy about Thomas heightened so much that I spent an entire period, 45 minutes, in my Advanced Placement Environmental Science Class discussing what graduation would be like and what our one classmate might do that may ruin it for many if not everyone. One person who took part in that discussion was Stanford bound football player and my classmate, Terrence Stephens. Stephens along with another football player and classmate Jason Ankrah were the reason for Thomas speaking at graduation.

Ankrah and Stephens were on a flight back from Nebraska where they were being recruited for football when they met Thomas. They sat in coach, and Thomas surprisingly did to. Terrence told my environmental class during our discussion that he had no idea who Thomas was when he approached him and Ankrah on the plane. Thomas asked them if they were the football players from Quince Orchard named Terrence Stephens and Jason Ankrah. Not knowing who he was, Ankrah and Stephens were terrified. After a little conversation, they found out he was Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. During conversation, Stephens brought up the issue of not having a keynote speaker for graduation at that time. Thomas agreed that he would speak and one of his reasons for being at Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall on June 1st was because of Ankrah and Stephens.

When Thomas got up to speak, no one knew what to expect. He talked about perseverance through adversity, overcoming obstacles to capture your dream, and his life. His speech was heartfelt and I feel as if everyone took something from his words. Whether it was being inspired or just learning about Thomas’s life, I am sure that everyone will remember the day when Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke at Quince Orchard High School’s graduation on June 1st, 2009 and received a standing ovation.

Hours before Thomas entered Constitution Hall in Washington D.C., some men from secret service swept through the Hall swabbing for gun powder and maybe even anthrax, one of my friends told me. They had earpieces in their ear and were stationed throughout the hall when Thomas arrived until he left. I am not sure about how he arrived or left, but he made a lasting impact on everyone in Constitution Hall that day, even my classmate who threatened to strike.

Clarence Thomas was born on June 23, 1948 in a small, impoverished African American community in Pinpoint, Georgia. It was settled by freed West African slaves known as Gullahs (Kroft). His family descended from slaves in the South. Thomas’ father left his family when Thomas was only two and when he was seven, he and his younger brother moved in with their Grandfather. When Thomas was ten, he began to work on the fields that his grandfather owned from sunrise to sunset. He was what CBS news called a “field hand.”

Thomas was the only African American at his high school and at the age of sixteen, since his Grandfather was Catholic, he considered entering the priesthood. He attended St. John Vianney’s Minor Seminary on the Isle of Hope. After that, he attended the Conception Seminary College which was a Roman Catholic seminary in Missouri. He left the church due to a racist comment from one of his classmates about the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. A nun from the seminary suggested going to the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. There, he founded the Black Union in the school and he received multiple deferments from the military draft. Many young African American men received deferments to enter the Vietnam War, like Thomas. He ended up avoiding the draft due to curvature of the spine, and he went on into the study of law (The Oyez Project).

In 1971, Clarence Thomas graduated High school with a cum laude in English literature and went on to Yale Law School. In 1974 he earned a Juris Doctor degree and graduated towards the middle of his class. Between 1974 and 1977, he was appointed and served as the Assistant Attorney General in Missouri under John Danforth (Cornell). In 1977 to 1979, he became an attorney with a lawyer named Monsanto in St. Louis, Missouri.

In 1979 Thomas moved to Washington D.C. where he again worked under John Danforth, this time as a legislative assistant. In 1981 he joined the Reagan administration and was then appointed Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education until 1982. In 1982 Thomas became chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission which he served for eight years.

In June of 1989 he was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. He took the oath of office on March 12, 1990 and lasting until October 1991, Clarence Thomas served on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. When news came about concerning the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, President Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to take his place. Thomas took the oath of office in October 23, 1991 and to this day he remains one of the Supreme Court Justices in the country (Cornell).

However, Thomas’s journey to get to office is complicated and filled with controversy. When Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall announced his retirement, Bush decided to nominate Thomas. Many opposed this nomination especially minority groups who opposed Thomas’s views on civil rights. Before Senate voted to appoint Thomas, he had to go through questioning from the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee.

What delayed his appointment was a last-minute witness named Anita Hill. She accused Thomas of sexual misconduct when she worked for him. Many were appalled and surprised about the accusation put on Thomas by Hill but the Committee was not able to find convincing proof that the allegations were true. Senate voted 52 to 48 to confirm Thomas’s nomination to the High Court. Even though nothing was proven, the accusation split black community’s views over Thomas’s nomination but nevertheless he became a Supreme Court Justice. To this day, people still believe that Thomas was involved with sexual harassment shown by the reactions of some of my classmates, but nothing has been proven (The Oyez Project).

The treatment of blacks throughout the country has improved since the pre Civil War era, but it still lacks in some respects because of expectations of some people. In a CBS interview, Thomas states that people think that because he is black, he must think a certain way. He told the interviewer, "I'm black. So I'm supposed to think a certain way. I'm supposed to have certain opinions.” He states that some people to this day still make judgments based on what you look like. This statement proves that racism is still exists today. Even though racism still is present in our society, future historians should note the change between now and back then. Back then, African Americans were thought of as an inferior race but now they are acknowledged as human beings that deserve the same treatment as whites, even if they may not receive it.

Throughout Clarence Thomas’ life, he has overcome adversity and has accomplished so many things that no one would have ever thought possible. From working on his grandfather’s fields like a slave to becoming one of the most influential and important men in the country, Clarence Thomas has proved most of the society wrong. After a trivial case based on allegations of sexual harassment by his subordinate, Thomas was still appointed as one of the Supreme Court Justices (Kroft). Clarence Thomas stands as the second African American to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, an accomplished and successful black man, and someone that everyone should know. He is the epitome of the Marty McFly’s statement, “if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.”

Works Cited:
"'If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything' - Marty McFly."Muze Clothing Blog. Muze. 06 June 2009 .

"Clarence Thomas." The Oyez Project. 06 June 2009 .

Kroft, Steve. "Clarence Thomas: The Justice Nobody Knows - CBS News." CBS News - Breaking News Headlines: Business, Entertainment & World News. 30 Sept. 2007. 06 June 2009 .

"LII: US Supreme Court: Justice Thomas." Legal Information Institute at Cornell Law School. 06 June 2009 .

Prince Hall Masonic Temple (D.C.)

By: Jada Johnson
HS 129, Summer 1 2009

While reading the chapters for this week’s assignment, I discovered that the Prince Hall Masons and African Methodist Episcopal Church significantly influenced the lives of African Americans prior to, during, and after the antebellum era. The topic immediately peaked my interest because my father is a Prince Hall Mason and a Steward at Galbraith AME Zion Church in Northwest Washington D.C. However, because I lacked knowledge in freemasonry, I sought mainly to focus on Prince Hall Masonry as it pertains to this era.

Yesterday, Saturday, June 13, 2009, I went to the Masonic Temple located at 1000 U St. Northwest, Washington D.C. but it was closed. This did not faze me because I’ve been inside several times for annual scholarship ceremonies and breakfasts and found nothing that was worthy of note anyway. Other than the pictures hung up of current and past grandmasters there was no way you could tell you were in a Masonic temple- it looked like the inside of any other regular building.

As I was leaving I was drawn to a corner stone placed alongside the building, which displayed the year in which the Masonic Temple was built. An illustrated, well-known symbol of the Prince Hall Masons composed its center; above it, contained an image of a group of Prince Hall Masons. Since the engraving was difficult to read, with my father’s directions, I went to the temple of Most Wishful King Soloman, located on 2245 Rhode Island Avenue in Northeast Washington D.C. to get a better look. The symbol, which features the letter “G” in the center, represents God and Geometry for all mankind; a compass and square, which represents the rules and guides for life, surrounds the “G.” Its design paired with its covert meaning made the symbol all the more unique and appealing.

Intrigued by the emergence of black freemasons in northern cities, discussed in the book: The African-American Odyssey, Vol. One: to 1877, by Darlene Clark Hine, William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold, I was propelled to interview my father- a 4 year mason invited to join in masonry by the present worshipful master and past grandmaster. I questioned him about the current purposes, practices, and accomplishments of Prince Hall Masons. Considered to be the oldest black fraternity, the Prince Hall Mason’s primary goal is to “take good men and make them better men” (as stated in their motto). They are community-oriented, usually doing charity work, adopting schools, and giving scholarships.

To become a mason, one must first be recommended and eventually initiated. Because of the secretive nature of Masonic practices and rituals, most topics were briefly discussed during the interview. Nevertheless, I learned that the Prince Hall Masons are separated by lodges, degrees, and house colors. The number of the lodge distinguishes each group of Prince Hall Masons from one another; the degree depicts the level of each mason; and the various house colors study different Masonic information. The Worshipful Grandmaster is the highest authority over the Grand Lodge and every lodge and chapter there under. The Masonic attire, described in the book as “fancy regalia,” continues to compose the Masonic dress of and unify the lodges of Prince Hall Masons. The fact that these men are continuing the traditions of past Prince Hall Masons shows the common element of past and current Prince Hall Masons.

It amazes me that an organization that began centuries ago still exists, with many aspects still intact. Future historians should know that African Americans Masons were ready to help each other regardless of the situation, with a cheerful heart and a giving spirit. Such organizations give people the opportunity to interact with people beyond their family. Providing structure, offering a greater sense of purpose, teaching history, and encouraging one to become a more critical thinker, there is no doubt that Prince Hall Masonry should be continued by future generations of all mankind.

Works Cited:

Hine, Darlene Clark, William C. Hine, and Stanley Harrold. The African-American Odyssey Volume One: To 1877. 3rd. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2006.

National Register “Princehall Masonic Temple on Flickr- Photo Sharing” 14 June 2009. http://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalregister/3566465901/

Barack Obama Inauguration

By: Ashley Hungerford
HS 129, Summer 1 2009

After studying parts of African American life in the days of slavery from early 1600s to mid 1950s it is nice to know that today’s African Americans do not have to live in the circumstances that they once did. There is so much that I could say about African American life today, about how it has changed that I do not know where to begin.

Today, June 13, 2009 African Americans are able to ride in all different kinds of transportation at any time. They are able to walk the streets; they do not have curfews unless they are children with curfews set by the parents. African Americans are also able to own anything that they can afford. In today’s economy, many people are losing jobs because we are currently going through a recession. Notice, I did not say people are losing jobs because of their complexion.

Another thing is schools. I graduated from Northwest High School two years ago. Students, teachers and staff of all races are welcomed. African American’s today truly have equal opportunity for education. For example, I currently attend Montgomery College. Everyone no matter what race is welcome to enroll and get an education from MC. Walking the halls of Montgomery College proves exactly this! People of all different races or nationalities can be seen. Another thing that has changed for African Americans is the right to vote. All American’s have the right to vote at 18 as well as the right to jury duty; whether the person is black, white, Spanish, male, female, or etc..

This particular year was a special year for American citizens, especially those of African descent. Many African Americans today own many businesses. For example, ice cream shops, restaurants, daycares, five star hotels, doctors offices, and much more. Today’s African American women are also owners of many of these businesses. For example, clothing stores, salons’, spa’s, many are even lawyers, therapists and so on. Some examples I know of are, Rita’s in Gaithersburg and the Starbucks in Gaithersburg.

However none of this is as exciting as the news I am about to tell you. This year, the first black man, Barrack Obama, was elected president of the United States. Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University & Harvard Law School. Before earning his degree, he worked as a civil rights attorney in Chicago and taught constitutional law at the university of Chicago law school (1992-2004). Obama served three terms in Illinois senate from 1997 to 2004. He was elected to the US senate in November 2004. He began his run for US presidency in 2007. He was inaugurated as president January 20, 2009.

I did not get a chance to go to the inauguration because I covered a work shift for my manager so he was able to attend the inauguration. I remember working on the day of the election, it was amazing to see how important this day, or point in time really is. The newspapers were being sold and laminated. I remember having one older woman come in both days with big thick frames. They looked like the ones you could put a piece of clothing in. The women stood right by the counter after she bought the paper and framed it.

On inauguration day the store was empty, everyone was at the inauguration! When people started getting home, they would come into the store with this surge of excitement. People were cheering and shouting in the parking lot with decorated cars and their newspapers, with cups of coffee. It was a very exciting and life changing event, I am proud just to be living in the same time era that this has happened.

As you can see, African American life today has significantly changed from the 1600s to now, 2009. African Americans today are able to lead a nation or their very own business. They are able to own anything that money can buy them with some exceptions. For example, certain ages are not able to purchase tobacco products or alcoholic beverages. African Americans today are allowed to be out whenever they please and visit whomever they want. They are able to ride in any form of public transportation and they do not have to be segregated to any certain area, at any time. African Americans today can live freely and equally among all other races.

The reason I chose these pictures was to show that in 2009 things have changed significantly. These pictures illustrate that African Americans no longer have limits. These pictures also illustrate the ongoing changes of African American life.

The first picture illustrates the education that African Americans as well as any else is able to acquire. The second picture shows two things. First, it shows that black and whites are now truly equal. They are able to stand together on the same stage, for the same purpose. And second, it shows the abilities of one African American, backed by both black and white people. This picture makes me feel determined to be the best that I can be because if one man can overcome something that took about two centuries to do, then imagine what the rest of us could do if we just worked for it.

My last two pictures are significant because they show a strong leader of a nation, and the proud father husband!
Before Barrack Obama, there were only white male presidents. This is a very important piece of future history that will play a huge part in telling the story of African American life.

Ben's Chili Bowl

By: Anonymous #1
HS120, Summer 1 2009

I visited Ben’s Chili Bowl on the evening of June 12, 2009. The restaurant is an institution on DC’s U Street corridor, one of the city’s centers of African-American culture. Although I have lived in the Washington area my whole life, I had never before set foot in this landmark, so I decided to check it out. Given my background in business, I also thought it would be interesting to learn more about this remarkably successful African-American family-owned business.

Ben’s was founded in the Summer of 1958 by Ben and Virginia Ali, a newly married couple. Ben was a Trinidadian Muslim immigrant and Virginia was an African-American from Virginia. Interracial marriage was illegal at the time, and they had attempted to marry several times before finally being able to do so. Shortly following their marriage, they used a $5,000 loan to renovate the former Minnehaha Theater building at 1213 U Street, in the heart of the city’s black Shaw neighborhood. Incidentally, the Minnehaha was one of the first silent movie theaters in DC to cater to black audiences. Ben’s opened in August of that year, serving simple comfort food, including its now-famous chili and half-smokes.

During the 1950s, U Street was the center of African-American life and culture in the nation’s capital. Known as the “Black Broadway,” U Street was home to black artists and musicians, and its jazz clubs were frequented by Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Cab Calloway. But it was more than just an entertainment district -- U Street was home to black professionals, businesses, restaurants, and shops. Ben’s quickly established itself as the meeting place for the neighborhood locals, and also was a popular eatery and hang out spot for jazz legends, black celebrities, and leaders in the civil rights movement, including Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King, Jr.
On April 4, 1968, when Ben’s was just a decade old, Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated in Memphis. The aftermath of this horrific event escalated into violence and rioting in African-American neighborhoods in several U.S. cities, including U Street in Washington, DC. Entire blocks of U Street were destroyed by looting and fire, buildings were reduced to smoldering rubble, and business came to a halt. All except Ben’s (or “The Bowl” as it had become known), which remained open, thanks to a permit obtained by Stokely Carmichael, the head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, which was headquartered across the street from Ben’s. The permit allowed Ben’s to remain open to provide sustenance to activists, law enforcement officials, firefighters and first responders. It took the neighborhood more than a decade to recover, and the neighborhood declined into a period of rampant street crime and drug peddling.

During the 1980s, the community seemed to be on the verge of renewal. A new community center was built, businesses were on the rise, and Bill Cosby (who had once courted his future wife during dates at Ben’s) visited The Bowl and drew national attention to the landmark. In 1987, another challenge to Ben’s survival came during construction of Metro’s Green Line and the U Street station, which was built directly across the street from Ben’s. Although the construction caused other businesses to close, disrupted traffic, and essentially turned the street into a giant construction pit, Ben’s stayed open with two employees working to satisfy hungry construction workers, and of course, the regulars.

Today, Ben’s is nationally renowned for its home-cooked flavor and its original décor, which is basically unchanged since it first opened. Ben and Virginia, who have since retired, probably never would have imagined that their little chili dog restaurant would have garnered so much national and even international attention. The country’s first black president paid homage to the eatery just 10 days after his inauguration when he visited with the city’s African-American Mayor, Adrian Fenty. Although Ben’s is still considered an institution of “black” Washington, people of all races can be found eating there today, as is visible in the photograph.

In conclusion, it is virtually impossible to recount the history of Washington, DC’s African-American residents without discussing Ben’s Chili Bowl – both are inextricably linked. What began as a “mom and pop” kind of hot dog stand became an important community gathering place for black professionals, entertainers, and civic leaders. It survived the 1968 riots, the decline of U Street into drugs and violence in the 1970s, the construction of the Green Line metro in the late 1980s, and various economic challenges. Ben’s truly has stood the test of time, and will continue to provide a gathering place for blacks – and others – for generations to come.

The White House

By: Anonymous #1
HS 129, Summer 1 2009

During the inauguration earlier this year of the first African-American President of the United States, the media spoke of the irony of the President being sworn in on the very stone that slave laborers had placed nearly 200 years before. When considering African-American historical sites in and around the Washington area to research for this assignment, the U.S. Capitol interested me because historically, not much attention has been paid to the fact that the building was constructed in part by slaves. This is likely due to the fact that because such few relevant historical sources survive, relatively little is known about their involvement.

The U.S. Capitol is perhaps one of the most recognizable symbols of American democracy, and the center of the dome marks the very center of the nation’s capital. The many visitors that come to admire the Capitol’s rotunda, beautiful grounds, art, and history are largely unaware of the people who helped build the seat of our government back in the early 19th century.

In a 2005 report to Congress, William C. Allen an architectural historian with the Architect of the Capitol attempted to uncover and make public what is known about the slaves that labored to build the Capitol. Most of the information regarding slave labor and the Capitol’s construction concerns only the time period from 1790-1800, when the Capitol’s North Wing (Senate side) was completed. After that date, there are few historical references to slave labor, although it was most likely continually used.

The area that would become known as the District of Columbia was at that time a rural backwater with a scarce population and an agriculture-based economy. In order to turn this land into a world-class capital city as George Washington wished to do, a steady supply of manpower was necessary. Both the limited population and agrarian workforce posed a challenge to this, but one thing the area did possess was a very large number of slaves.

The commissioners (all slave-owners, incidentally) who were tasked by Washington to manage the city’s construction rented slaves from local owners to help build the Capitol and other public buildings. (Allen, 3) Because there were not many carpenters, stone masons, architects, and engineers, many had to be imported from elsewhere. Those who were hired and placed in charge of these various aspects of construction rented slaves to assist in quarrying stone, carpentry, mortar making, brick laying, sawing, painting, and clearing timber. Many slaves were hired as indentured servants who were rewarded for their work with their freedom.

Two prominent black men involved in the planning of the capital city and the construction of the capital were Benjamin Banneker and Philip Reid. Banneker, who we read about in Chapter 4 of our textbook, a free mathematician and astronomer, worked with head surveyor Andrew Ellicott as he laid the boundary stones that would mark the ten square mile area of the District of Columbia. Allen writes that Philip Reid was “the best known black person associated with the Capitol’s construction history.” (Allen, 15)

Reid, a slave, left the most lasting and most visible evidence of slave labor on the Capitol’s exterior, ironically named the Statue of Freedom. Reid was a slave laborer in a foundry run by a well-known sculptor from South Carolina, Clark Mills, who came to the District in the 1840s with Reid and was commissioned to cast a bronze statue of Andrew Jackson near the President’s House in Lafayette Park. In 1860, he was commissioned to cast the Statue of Freedom to crown the top of the Capitol’s newly completed dome. Reid played an important role in readying the plaster mold for the final casting, transporting, and assembling the statue before it was placed in its permanent home, where it remains today. (Allen, 16) In fact, this is one of the few aspects of the Capitol’s exterior relating to slavery that still exists today, and it can be seen in the accompanying photographs.

As Allen writes, “Philip Reid’s story is one of the greatest ironies in the Capitol’s history: a workman helping to cast a noble allegorical representation of American freedom when he himself was not free.” (Allen, 16) The same can be said of all the slaves who labored to build a glorified home for the treasured American ideals of liberty and equality – values that they themselves likely never experienced.

Works Cited:

History of Slave Laborers in the Construction of the United States Capitol, William C. Allen, Architectural Historian, Office of the Architect of the Capitol' June 1, 2005. http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/art_artifacts/slave_labor_reportl.pdf

Cultural Tourism DC. http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/info-url3948/info-url_show.htm?doc_id=213719&attrib_id=7965