Time Warped
By Jonathan Pait (12/22/03)
The recent revelation of Essie Mae Washington-Williams that she is the daughter of the late Senator Strom Thrumond of South Carolina has caught the attention of the national press. All around the country reporters took what the AP fed them, changed a few words, added a local connection and passed it on to the public. The responses to the media hype are interesting, not so much for what they illuminate about the man or his daughter, but for what they reveal about us.
First the facts. Essie Mae Washington-Williams was brought into the world as the illegitimate daughter of 22-year-old Strom Thurmond and young 16-year-old, Carrie Butler. Strom was the son of a prominent family. Carrie was the young, black maid who worked in his parents’ home.
What we don’t know is the nature of the relationship. Was it consensual? Did the young Thrumond force himself upon the young girl? The bottom line is that we do not know the answer to those questions. Speculation doesn’t shed much light on that unknown aspect of the story, but it certainly turns the spotlight onto our own prejudices.
At the root level, it really should not matter whether Carrie was black or not. Strom’s shame was in the fact that Essie Mae was illegitimate – not that he got a black girl pregnant. He should have been ashamed that he got any girl pregnant. That is not to say that there did not exist times in our nation’s past when black girls were simply used and cast off by the white men who had power over them. Nor can we deny that there was most likely a remaining strain of that thought during the time of Strom’s youth. If those ideas motivated his actions then it simply adds to his shame.
Many people today are not concerned that Strom helped set back the life of a young 16-year-old girl. Hey, kids will be kids and if they are in love and meet the age of consent (which was the case), why not let them express their sexual freedom? What matters to these people is that she was a black 16-year-old girl. It is inconceivable to them that Strom and Carrie might have been attracted to each other and in the flame of passion they made a mistake. Why not? Well, it has to be because she was black and he was white, right?
As one of my liberal friends recently said, “Sex out of wedlock is common now and should be. It is a basic part of a relationship – be you a gay or hetero adult.” He continues, “The Strom issue is not about ‘illicit’ sex because ‘illicit sex’ is common. What’s uncommon is a dixiecrat segregationist who wanted to be president based on racism was actually integrating the races on a very personal level.”
It is this mentality that allows a person to think nothing of the sexual escapades of Bill Clinton or John F. Kennedy while blasting Strom Thurmond to bits. Once again, it shows that hypocrisy is the greater sin according to the post-modernist liberal. They speculate that the reason that Strom kept quiet about his “love child” had nothing to do with the fact that she was illegitimate, but everything to do with the fact she was black.
In reality Thurmond’s behavior was not uncommon in those days. Rather than aborting a baby, a mother such as Carrie was sent away to live "with relatives" while the baby was being born. The baby would then be put up for adoption or would live with relatives and become a "cousin." Of course, the fact that Essie Mae was black adds a wrinkle to the whole thing. Poor Carrie didn't have the same opportunity that a privileged white girl would have had. That is where race does become an issue.
Bottom line, this scenario was played out many times during that time period. Strom (though wrong) was acting according to the accepted procedure. The interesting thing is that he did not simply let it go at that. Rather than just letting it go as many during that time did, he did attempt to form a relationship with his daughter. Now, was that to keep her quiet? Was it because he actually cared for her? We don't know.
We do not know if it was Strom exercising his power or if it was just plain old lust for each other. It is in this speculation that we reveal ourselves. Are some of us bitter people who, ashamed of some of the past problems we have learned about in our culture, want to ignore those stains on the past? We think of the possibilities that here was this young man in the midst of such a culture who found himself attracted to this maiden who was, in that culture, a "forbidden fruit." There is no doubt that scenario played itself out during those days. However, we do not know if that was the case with Strom and Carrie.
Are some of us bitter people who, unable to move on to the idea that many of those past problems in our culture have improved, want to continue to use this case to press forward our idea that racism is inherited? At least in the genes of those who are "in power?" We think of the possibilities that here was this man in the midst of a time of segregation who used his position as a privileged son to take advantage of an unwilling black girl who had no defense. Certainly, that type of scene could be found to exist during that era. However, we do not know if that was the case with Strom and Carrie.
This brings us once again to the common denominator: Strom and Carrie had an illicit relationship. Unfortunately for our culture today, that is not enough in itself to bring shame upon the youth of the man. It also makes me wonder what today’s headlines would read had Carrie acted according to the prevailing wisdom of our culture. Most likely, we would not be reading the headlines because there would be no Essie Mae. She would have ended up in a biohazard container.
It is interesting to note the way we judge people for actions in the 40s with our sensibilities of today. In some ways, the race issue for instance, our sensibilities are more morally sensitive. In other ways, our views of illicit sex for example or killing a child to protect our reputations, our judgments are more morally jaded - or should I say more "progressive."
To Thurmond’s credit, he took care of his daughter. I realize that many do not believe he did as much as he should have. However, much of that response comes from today’s notions of how illegitimacy is accepted. There is no reason to believe that Thurmond would have taken the same approach had Carrie Butler been a young, white maid in his family’s home. Perhaps he was ashamed that his daughter was biracial. However, from reading the statements of Essie Mae and other people who knew Thurmond well, it is likely that he was more ashamed that his daughter was not his by marriage.
We can only look at the past through the lenses of today. They are clouded as we project aspects of our own culture on the people of that period. In the end, we all speculate to make our points and advance our cause by creating the story that supports our agenda. The one reality we have is Essie Mae Washington-Williams. Through this whole ordeal she rises above the fray as the one person with honor and dignity. She offers no explanation. She simply informs us of the history. She cannot tell us of the intents of two young people. She tells us of the actions they took for her.
She is the reminder that actions have consequences. Her story shows us that while things change slowly, they can change. Finally, she puts her focus on today. Regardless of the flaws or strengths of the character of Strom Thurmond, Essie Mae has made her own mark and moved beyond the past. She has not denied the past nor has she allowed it to define her. It is an example that we should follow.
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