Clarence Thomas, Esq.
The July issue of Esquire magazine is a collector's edition: It includes an article favorable to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Author Ron Suskind, a writer for the Wall Street Journal, describes a Thomas hobby that not many Washingtonians know about: "A steady stream of top minority high schoolers in the area are among Thomas's only regular visitors." Suskind's new book, A Hope in the Unseen, is about one of these students, Cedric Jennings, who spends three hours with Thomas one afternoon. Jennings is a poor, lanky kid from Anacostia who somehow thrives at Ballou High School, one of D.C.'s worst. He is accepted to Brown University, and meets with Thomas before going there.

Excerpt: "Thomas is becoming increasingly animated by the prospect of Cedric going to Brown. He's talking faster now, reaching out his wide arms. 'No doubt one thing you'll find when you get to a school like Brown is a lot of classes and orientation on race relations. Try to avoid them. Try to say to yourself, 'I'm not a black person; I'm just a person.' You'll find a lot of so-called multicultural combat, a lot of struggle between ethnic and racial groups, and people wanting you to sign on, to narrow yourself into some group identity or other. You have to resist that, Cedric. You understand?'"

Cedric understood. Suskind's book shows how Cedric managed to make it through his freshman year more or less successfully. Neither the article nor the book says so, but today Cedric is a math and education major at Brown with a B average, going into his senior year.

Thomas Anecdote
Best anecdote from Suskind's Esquire story: In Thomas's office at the Supreme Court, he keeps a sign on the bookshelf. It reads: "SAVE AMERCIA, BOMB YALE LAW SCHOOL."

Thomas should know. He's an alumnus.