Slow Burn - Becoming Justice Thomas | 1. America’s Blackest Child
Slate News
Slate Podcasts
4.5 • 6K Ratings
🗓️ 31 May 2023
⏱️ 53 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Growing up in Georgia, Clarence Thomas wanted to make his mark. His goal was to become his hometown’s first Black Catholic priest. But in the 1960s, he abandoned that dream. Instead, he embraced campus activism and the teachings of Malcolm X.
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Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner.
Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.
Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.
Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.
Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John, and Joel Meyer.
Merritt Jacob is Slate’s senior technical director.
Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | A quick warning. This episode has language that listeners may find offensive. |
| 0:07.0 | Okay, I'm gonna let these cars pass me so I can drive slow. |
| 0:13.0 | So this is...yeah this is pinpoint. |
| 0:16.0 | Pinpoint Georgia is a tiny place just about a mile from end to end and it's easy to miss from the highway |
| 0:22.0 | hidden by all the marshes and oak trees. |
| 0:25.0 | Oh man, I love this Spanish moss. |
| 0:28.0 | I do love Spanish moss, but that's not why I was there. |
| 0:32.0 | Man, they got all they got a little turnout. |
| 0:34.0 | See birthplace is supreme. I want to take a picture of that real quick. |
| 0:38.0 | In Pinpoint, Clarence Thomas' family ties still run deep. |
| 0:42.0 | Smell, you can smell the salt water. |
| 0:45.0 | But when I visited there a couple months ago, nobody was all that excited to talk about them. |
| 0:52.0 | Mr. Hames. |
| 0:57.0 | Hello? |
| 0:59.0 | Some folks didn't answer their doors, but if you did speak with me in their front yards. |
| 1:03.0 | Mr. Femme? That's me. |
| 1:06.0 | Hey, do you remember when I called you last week? |
| 1:09.0 | Yeah, you called me last week. |
| 1:11.0 | If you just got a will in a talk about Pinpoint and growing up out here, first of all, I don't want to talk about Clarence at all. |
| 1:20.0 | I totally get that. |
| 1:22.0 | To call Clarence Thomas polarizing as an understatement. |
| 1:25.0 | In 30 plus years on the Supreme Court, he's pulled the country to the right on everything |
... |
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