Clarence Thomas Reflects on Promise Made After Grandparents' Deaths

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas spoke about a promise he made following the sudden deaths of his grandparents in 1983 during a discussion with Hoover Institution fellow Peter Robinson. He stated that he decided to live the rest of his life as a memorial to them. Thomas shared details about his upbringing in segregated Savannah, Georgia, where he was raised by his maternal grandparents, who had limited formal education. He described his grandfather, who was raised by a freed slave, as a great man who instilled values of self-reliance and hard work. Thomas emphasized the importance of education to his grandparents and noted that their teachings influenced his views, particularly those of economist Thomas Sowell. He mentioned that Sowell's ideas resonated with the lessons he learned from his grandparents and the Catholic nuns who educated him.