By Andrea Picciotti-Bayer
I have been raising kids for more than 20 years. These days one of my teenage boys is a particular challenge. He doesn’t take well to lectures, and I doubt he is picking up on any “life lessons” watching me in action.
But a few weeks ago, he joined me at a preview of “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words.” There, over the next two hours, Justice Clarence Thomas offered my son a kind of life lesson: No matter the savage contradictions you face in life, with faith, family, and fortitude, you can find peace.
For far too many Americans, Anita Hill’s accusations concocted to derail Thomas’ 1991 confirmation to the Supreme Court have come to define the man. That’s a national shame on several levels.
One, the last-minute charges were simply unjust. Two, the far-fetched allegations have detracted from Thomas’ pioneering and influential legacy on the high court. Three, they’ve yanked the spotlight away from what is a heroic American life.
