Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas Controversy Analysis

IExperiencing gender inequality at CU reflected an ugly truth: The United States has not moved past discrimination! In uncovering, the country’s gruesome treatment of black women, I found that gender and racial discrimination overlap because they are simultaneously experienced. The United States has a long history of treating women unequally, especially black women. Before the enactment of the 19th Amendment, white women did not allow black women to join the Woman’s Suffrage Movement because of racial prejudice, and they feared that the government might dismantle the organization (Dumenil 2007). Fortunately, in 1920, women gained the right to vote through the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. However, because most states in the country

Patricia Hill Collins’s work, Black Feminist Thought seeks to center Black Women into intersectionalist thought, addressing the power struggles that face them not only due to their race but also to the gender. Masculine rhetoric and powerful male leaders such as Huey P. Newton and Eldridge Cleaver have overshadowed Black Women’s stories, both in and out of the Civil Right Rights/Black Power

An underlying conflict within the Supreme Court was partially abstained as Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined the system in 1954 and 1993. Although their oath of office resembles a major breakthrough in law, there is still no doubt that the conflict of ethnic and gender diversity and the need for diverse, experienced members within the Supreme Court is a problem that should be addressed by society within the next few years. From past events, such as Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and consistently throughout history, it is perceived that problems in our justice system are addressed when people come together as a society in resistance in want for change. Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s

Clarence Thomas is just the second African American justice to serve on the Supreme Court. His confirmation margin of fifty-two to forty-eight is the smallest margin in history. Until the very recent confirmations of both Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, for the past twenty-five plus years, Thomas had been the last conservative to be named to the current court. Thomas’ confirmation hearings have gone down in history as those containing the most drama. His hearings would produce such intense arguments over race and gender. Thomas is on of the most publicly criticized justices in the history of the Supreme Court. The primary reason for that is the "uncommon" connection between his views and the color of

Equality concerns are fundamental to our lives as human beings. Each human being has a natural engagement with what equality requires and a capacity to make arguments about seeming inequality of treatment. In the context of Sumner’s case, the principle of equality before the law- as opposed to what the principle requires- is beyond question. The principle of equality, and specifically equality before the law, provides an obvious element from which to reflect the treatment of people who come before the law. The law is not to make any distinction between rich or poor, race or religion, male or female. In the eyes of the law, all are equal. When placed on the court floor citizens should be looked at exactly the same; equivalent before the law and as humans entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. However, since law creates classes with special rights and

This week, the readings touched on issues relating to resistance and social change. Martinez explains how the U.S. has struggled to see issues of race beyond just Black and white. She also stresses the importance of including other races when speaking on these issues. Hernandez argues that the mainstream feminist movement fails to include minority and low-income women and the issues they face. She states that the movement only benefits white middle class women. Collins explains how people’s ideas and behaviors actualize other people’s inequalities. She says comparing levels of oppression is a competition for attention and instead we should use a new mentality that interlocks these inequalities. Harris

Whenever I hear about discrimination, prejudice or stereotypes, as they relate to race, ethnicity and you name it, my system aches. Being inhumane and lack respect for your fellow brothers or sisters, regardless of color, speaks volume and causes unsettling issues in our society today. In this assignment, my mission is to share an historic event that took place in Martinsville, VA back in 1949. This case includes rape and a racially motivated justice system, that leads to racial discrimination; ultimately, led to the execution of seven. This case garnered international recognition and eventually left an indelible scar on the world. With numerous evidence of racial discrimination, I have put together a compelling argument which establishes

The United States’ attention was captivated on the Supreme Court Case of Powell vs Alabama during the 1930s. During the time period, this case revealed the brutal treatment towards African Americans more than any other event. The case began on March 25, 1931, when a group of young white and African American youths were traveling on a train to find a job. A physical encounter broke out between them and the white youths were thrown out of the train. Then they reported the incident to a stationmaster, who stopped the train. The police arrived to gather the nine African Americans and brought them to jail. Nine young African Americans were recognized as the “Scottsboro boys”. They were accused of rape of two white women on that train. The white jury convicted eight of them, all except one, the youngest at 12-years-old, and were sentenced to death. These youths were falsely charged with raping two white women in Alabama. Although there was no evidence that linked the African Americans to the white women, they were still charged with sexual assault. The two women -- fearing prosecution for their sexual relationship with the white men agreed to testify against the black youths. The Supreme Court Case of Powell vs Alabama is crucial in both Civil Rights history and in the evolution of the Constitution.

Although the majority correctly avoided the constitutional question, Justice Scalia authored a concurring opinion addressing the issue. Justice Scalia’s opinion poses the question: “[w]hether or to what extent, are the disparate-impact provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 consistent with the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection?” Id. at 2682, 174 L. Ed. 2d 490, 515. Justice Scalia’s assertion that “Title VII’s disparate-impact provisions place a racial thumb on the scales, often requiring employers to evaluate the racial outcomes of their policies and to make decisions based on (because of) those racial outcomes” mischaracterizes the Act. Id. The disparate-impact provision of Title VII simply allows for and encourages employers to be cognizant of the racial impact of their business practices so that they can craft fair assessment procedures that gives everyone equal opportunity. Justice Scalia callously classified the City’s action as racial decision-making. This contention disregards the fact that race consciousness was deemed

The election of Barack Obama as the 56th president of the United States raised many hopes that the “Black struggles” was finally over. For conservatives, Obama victory reassured their beliefs that there was no longer such thing as racism and that every American had equal rights and opportunity to pursue the American dream. While many people have come to believe that all races have equal rights in America, Tim Wise argues in his documentary “White Like Me” that not only does racism and unconscious racial bias still exist, but that also White Americans are unable to simply relate to the variety of forms racism and inequality Blacks experience. This is mainly because of the privileges they get as the “default.” While Wise explores the variety forms of racism and inequality today such as unconscious racism, Black poverty, unemployment, inadequate education system, and prison system, the articles by the New York Times Editorial Board, the Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Adam Liptak further explore some the disparities in the criminal justice system. Ana Swanson points out in her article, “The Stubborn Persistence of Black-White Inequality, 50 Years after Selma” that while the “U.S. has made big strides towards equal rights,” significant gaps still remains between the two races. With the Supreme Court striking down a “portion of the Voting Rights Act that stopped discriminatory voting laws from going into effect in areas of the country with histories of disenfranchisement,” civil

Rosenburg, Friedman, Altman, Rossum and Tarr all illustrate societies past history and race within the court system. Race has always played a big factor in American history since the very beginning of the colonial time period. The United States has had a long history of oppressing minorities such as the enslavement of Africans, harassment of those who immigrated to the states, and

Throughout the book, Bell references many historic examples of court rulings supporting the idea that changes have occurred regarding Black ethnic rights and freedoms. Through the analysis of this book, it appears as though Bell portrays himself as a racial realist, and attempts to show through his many examples of court cases, that racial equality has come a long way since the Civil War. What Bell also expresses, is the idea that although the United States has made a lot of progress surrounding the rights of Black ethnics, racism is still evident in today’s institutions.

Clarence Thomas is second colored male justice to serve in the Supreme Court. I wanted to write about Clarence Thomas because, i was fascinated about his quite streak, how he overcomes racial barriers and his decision in ruling the cases he came upon.

In our western culture, many do not perceive women as an oppressed group. The reality is that women are very much oppressed, as women do not have access to the important conversations that influence their lives. Men create the space for these conversations, and there is no room for women in this narrow space. Rebecca Walker discusses the effect crude language has on women in Becoming the Third Wave, opening the piece with commentary on the verdict met in the Clarence Thomas case. Walker argues that the Anita Hill v. Clarence Thomas hearings were not about whether or not Thomas committed the crime, but instead checking the credibility of women and men’s power.

Feminist jurisprudence is a complicated legal theory that covers an extensive range of issues affecting women. Feminist jurisprudence rose to prominence in the 1960’s while critical theory flourished in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. Both movements provide a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the relationship that exists between law, women, and people of minority. Both critical race theory and feminist jurisprudence highlight how the law is the embodiment of the interests of the most powerful persons in any society (Culver 211). According to feminists, the law and legal concepts reflect an exclusively male or patriarchal view of the world. Two central themes are nearly agreed upon by all feminists. The belief that all male dominated institutions should be rejected and for effective and rapid reform to be introduced to amend existing laws and in the ways