Many Americans have found their voices in the wake of Essie Mae Washington-Williams' statement acknowledging the deceased South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond as her father.
Darryl Fears' Washington Post article "'At Last I Feel Completely Free'" quotes South Carolina historian and author Jack Bass saying what he found most important about the incident was "what it means in terms of tearing away the veil of secrecy shrouding these types of relationships. [...] Across the South, many black people are aware of their white ancestry, even though they don't know the parents. But white people never talk about it. White people are going to be stunned by the emotional content of this."
Another quote of interest comes from conservative pundit and ex-Thurmond aide Armstrong Williams, who said that the senator once told him at an award ceremony, "'You know, I have ties in the black community.' And I said, really? And he winked at me. He said she won't talk about it in my lifetime, and I won't talk about it. And he winked at me again."
Also: Valerie Bauerlein and Lauren Markoe's article for The State newspaper "'She's a quiet person, a very thoughtful person,'" draws on Washington-Williams' peers in South Carolina and relatives in California, and Brent Staples' Editorial Observer essay for the New York Times, "Senator Strom Thurmond's Not-So-Secret Black Daughter," lays out a case for African-American communities' familarity with the truths about oral histories and family backgrounds.
posted in articles on December 18, 2003 4:43 AM | t (1)
« Previous phile: Set a place at the Dallas Dinner Table.
» Next phile: Ms. Jackson, if you're country.
Return to top of page