Clarence Thomas

Justice Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991. He is considered to be part of the "conservative wing" in the current court. He is the second African-American to serve on the nation's highest court (Justice Thurgood Marshall was the first) and, until the appointment of Chief Justice John Roberts in 2005, was the youngest justice.

Heritage

Thomas comes from the Gullah/Geechee cultural region of coastal Georgia and is a member of this distinct African American ethnic group; he grew up speaking the Geechee language, which is a hybrid of English and various West African languages. In the late 20th century Thomas acquired a newfound enthusiasm for his heritage, writing about it in the December 14, 2000 issue of The New York Times:

Related Topics:
Gullah/Geechee - The New York Times

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"When I was 16, I was sitting as the only black kid in my class, and I had grown up speaking a kind of a dialect. It's called Geechee. Some people call it Gullah now, and people praise it now. But they used to make fun of us back then. It's not standard English. When I transferred to an all-white school at your age, I was self-conscious, like we all are... So I...just started developing the habit of listening."

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Thomas has stated that he wishes to write a book about the culture. http://news.geomag.com/news/2001/06/0607_wiregullah.html

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