Clarence Thomas on His Opposition to Affirmative Action

I wanted to be a priest. That was the only firm goal I ever had. But I became bitter about the church’s silence on racism. When I lost that vocation at 19, I was adrift. I came to Holy Cross as a transfer student in the fall of 1968. There were about two dozen black students on campus. It was hard to be that small a group in this isolated place. We formed a black students union. A year later, I went along with living on a black corridor, even though I objected to it. I saw no reason to come to a white school and segregate ourselves. That said, I understood how hard it was to be isolated.

In late 1969 we walked out. Holy Cross had suspended black kids at a protest but not most of the white kids. We thought it was an injustice. We made the decision to quit, and then I began to wonder about the consequences. If we were not allowed to come back, I was done. There was no way I could have faced my grandfather or moved back home to Savannah. I have no idea where I could have gone to school. I thank God that Holy Cross reversed the suspensions and allowed us to come back.