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Dec 27, 2003 Man, oh man, oh man! The hypocrisy does not get much better than this. The “New York Times” article by Michael Janofsky, (Michael is a good name, don’t you think?) had the title: “Thurmond Kin Acknowledge Black Daughter”. Amazing! After 78 years of quiet, the family of Strom Thurmond issued a statement in support of Mrs. Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the daughter of one Carrie Butler who had been employed by the Thurmond family as a maid when Strom was 22 years old. The relationship between Strom and Essie Mae can be boiled down to this one quote: “But I knew he cared about me. He was very good to me. I would not have done anything to hurt him.” That is all I need to know about this whole deal. Whether we all pay great attention to this revelation, or whether we regulate it to the “15 minutes of fame” rule is probably a matter of personal choice. I am looking at this as a love story. I did not see the “60 Minutes II” interview. I haven’t read “The Washington Post” interview. I am just glad Mrs. Washington-Williams can now openly share her heritage with both her family and the Thurmond’s. Nothing else matters really. Strom might have been a segregationist, but his relationship with his daughter over so many years softened him to that error. “He was very good to me. I knew he cared about me.” Thurmond left the error of the Dixie-crats and became a Republican who even voted to approve the holiday honoring the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King. Circumstance and culture kept Strom and Essie Mae at public arms length. Privately, Sen. Thurmond supported his daughter. When his daughter married, Strom kept up with Essie Mae. When Essie Mae lost her husband at a young age, Strom resumed supporting his daughter. Do you see this as part of the love story? Now, the Thurmond family has acknowledged an instant influx of family, adding 4 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 4 great, great grandchildren to the mix. I am hoping the media treats the first family reunion with its due respect. Why do I say that? Because the first evil punch has already been thrown. Now, I don’t know what possessed someone to go and talk to Jesse Jackson about this, but the following paragraph turns a love story into a hate story. “The Rev. Jesse Jackson…said he was struck by the similarities between Mr. Thurmond’s situation and that of Jefferson, asserting that they reflected “a deep and ugly Southern Tradition” of white men taking advantage of young black women in their employ. By day they are bullies, by night, they manipulate race to their advantage.” The evil behind such statements cannot even be assessed. The hypocrisy of the statement is even more blatant, Rev. Jackson fathered his own illegitimate child by a woman in his employ and only confessed his “traditional manipulation” after he tried to cut support and force a confidentiality statement from the mother. The mother took it to court and Jesse quickly repented before the tabloids broke the story. To add evil upon evil, Jackson was even counseling then President Clinton over the Monica fiasco and even brought his pregnant concubine to the White House for a photo opportunity with Willie Jeff. This is in stark contrast to the relationship between Mr. Thurmond and his daughter Essie Mae. Essie Mae said: “I would not have done anything to hurt him. He was very good to me. I knew that he cared for me.” For those who enjoy rewriting history, Sen. Thurmond’s is now a juicy target. Know this though, Senator Thurmond’s legacy has just found a new strength. His legacy includes 4 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 4 great, great grandchildren. The Thurmond family is now and acknowledged, extended family. See? Told you. This was a love story with a happy ending. Go home Mr. Jackson. ------------ About the Author: Independent, Conservative, Christian. Married 29 years with 5 children raised and one grandson being raised. 30 year Army Veteran and published poet with www.poetry.com since Y2K. Email Michael John McCrae: michael.mccrae@us.army.mil Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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