Pretty long article. At first glance their relationship boils down to an informal, nonverbal agreement to shut up for money, but now she just says she wants history to know her story, so who knows. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60363-2003Dec12.html Woman Claims Thurmond As Father Proof Forthcoming, Black Retiree Says By Marilyn W. Thompson Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, December 14, 2003; Page A01 A 78-year-old retired Los Angeles schoolteacher said she is breaking a lifetime of silence to announce that she is the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of former U.S. senator James Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.), once the nation's leading segregationist. In an interview, the woman said that Thurmond privately acknowledged her as his daughter and provided financial support since 1941. Essie Mae Washington-Williams described her claims in a lengthy telephone interview last week, saying she protected Thurmond because of their mutual "deep respect" and her fears that disclosure would embarrass her and harm his political career. Thurmond, who died in June at age 100, said late in life through his office that Williams was a friend. Williams, whose mother worked as a maid in the Thurmond family home as a teenager, has long been the subject of widespread speculation and has been pursued by journalists seeking her story for two decades. She always denied that she is Thurmond's daughter. "I want to bring closure to this," said Williams, who plans to hold a news conference Wednesday in Columbia, S.C. "It is a part of history." Williams did not provide definitive proof that she is Thurmond's daughter. Her attorney, Frank R. Wheaton of Los Angeles, said she is ready to submit to DNA tests if challenged by the Thurmond family. Williams said she has documents to validate her claim, including cashier's check stubs, mementos from Thurmond and a letter from an intermediary who delivered money from the senator. She declined to name the intermediary, citing privacy concerns. . . .
Thurmond was just a product of his time I guess. . . It looks like she's not selling the story or anything, so she can't be accused of being money grubing.
product of his time??? are you talking pre civil war or the 20th century. he was a f***ing hypocrite and a f***ing racist hypocrite at that. good riddance to bad rubbish!!!
I find it sickening that people are posthumously attacking this man who so courageously served his country in Congress for so many years. I find it all the more sickening that extreme liberals here have the gall to point out Thurmond's segregationist ties *all the while* the liberals have an ex Ku Klux Klansman serving them in the Senate (Robert Byrd). What is worse is that the Democrats won't even condemn his past affiliations with the Klan. Hypocrisy at its finest, ladies and gents. More Congressional Dems Defend Byrd's KKK Ties Two more congressional Democrats found themselves on the defensive late Thursday over leading Senate Democrat Robert Byrd's past affiliation with a racist domestic terror group, but they declined to take the opportunity to condemn his decision to join Ku Klux Klan when he was young man in the 1930s or say the affiliation disqualified him from high office. Appearing on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes," Reps. Harold Ford, D-Tenn., and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., refused to condemn Byrd's Klan past when asked whether it was appropriate to have the former KKK member leading attacks against the White House's plan to go to war against Iraq. The exchange went like this: HANNITY: Aren't you ashamed to have a former Klansman as one of the lead Senators of your party? DAFAZIO (Pause) You know, I don't know anything about that, your allegations. FORD: Sean, that can go both ways (crosstalk). HANNITY: Is there a Republican former Klansman, sir? FORD: We should be very careful. There are a lot of folks.... HANNITY: Is there a Republican former Klansman? Because if there is, I'll ask him to resign tonight. FORD: Well, Mr. Hannity, I have great respect for Mr. Thurmond and Mr. Helms but there have been lots of things said about both of them over the years. But that's not.... HANNITY: Were they former Klansman? Alright. Now that we're done let me ask this. (End of Excerpt) The two Democrats' refusal to condemn Byrd's Klan history followed by hours comments by Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who also defended the West Virginia Democrat's KKK past. Asked if she thought past Klan membership should disqualify someone from serving in the Senate, Schakowski told Hannity on his nationally syndicated radio show, "No, not if you've totally rejected it - my goodness." Like Rep. Ford, Schakowski initially tried to defend Byrd's Klan membership by suggesting Republican Senators Strom Thurmond and Jesse Helms had also once belonged to the KKK. But the ploy was short circuited when Hannity told Schakowski she was wrong. Their exchange went like this: HANNITY: You heard Daschle's meltdown on the Senate floor yesterday. And then you heard Sen. "KKK" Byrd on the Senate floor yesterday - you don't mind if I say that. Don't you think that anybody, if you're ever in the Ku Klux Klan, has no business serving in public office? I really feel strongly about it. SCHAKOWSKI: Well, so then, maybe if Strom Thurmond.... HANNITY: He's done. He's finished. SCHAKOWSKI: ....and Jesse Helms and.... HANNITY: Helms was never in the Ku Klux Klan. I don't think Thurmond was either. But Robert Byrd was. Don't you find that so obnoxious? SCHAKOWSKI: I think he would agree that participation in the KKK is pretty bad. HANNITY: But shouldn't that preclude you from being a U.S. Senator later in your life? SCHAKOWSKI: No, not if you've totally rejected it - my goodness. (End of Byrd-KKK exchange) As the segment was ending, Hannity reiterated that neither Sen. Thurmond nor Sen. Helms had ever belonged to the Klan.
Byrd was a Clansman, Thurmond and Helms were just blatant racists. Wow that's a great victory for your side TJ.
Tj, do you do things like this just for the pleasure of getting a rise out of people or for the purposes of justifying your own brand of racism to yourself? Or both?
Sam it's called a counterpunch. Woofer once again posts a link in an attempt to take a swipe at the Republican Party. I point out the hypocrisy in doing so, as the Democrats have an ex-Klansman in the Senate. Highly relevant. Why won't the liberals condemn Byrd's membership in the Ku Klux Klan? This really puzzles me. Minorities everywhere should take notice of this very controversial stance and ask themselves is this tye type of leadership they want in a political party.
I, for one, agree with the implications of both arguments: The Democrats and Republicans are both parties saturated with blatant hypocrisy. (But, regarding Byrd,any report from FOXnews is suspect, since it is now the offical party organ for the Republicans.) Of course, this is a generalization - there are good people, though not many, in each party - but the generalization is widely applicable otherwise. In that respect, choosing one side over the other amounts to deciding which hypocritical perspective coincides best with your own. Thurmond was indeed a product of his time. Unfortunately, he held power long after his time (and a few diaper-fulls of accidental bowel movements) had passed. If Essie Mae Washington-Williams was being respectful of Thurmond by refusing to disclose the details of Daddy Strom during his life, that is certainly a nice sentiment, but I don't think anyone was really fooled by it. Either way, the old fossil managed to have his dusty ass glued to a senate seat for way too long.
Byrd being a former member of the Klan doesn't make Thurmond's actions right. Defend or attack him based on *his* actions, not those of others.
If it's the truth, too bad it reflects poorly on the Republican party. ... Essie Mae was born Oct. 12, 1925, to a 16-year-old, unmarried mother, Carrie Butler, who cleaned house in the Thurmonds' grand two-story home ... Classy.
Two things i'd like to point out: Thurmond comes from a time where there was a deep line between the races. He's human. Im not condoning what he did was correct, but 75 years before his time slavery was legal. And all of this was back in his younger days. Second, if 'racist/kKK' is the best you can do in slamming a paticular party, then your sadly mistaken on the condition in congress. There is more you can fuss about than 1 mans view on race.
Strom renounced all of his old segregation nonsense - some say it was calculated, but thats a matter of opinion. What does Byrd have anything to do with Thurmond's daughter coming forward now to tell the truth? You guys take the bait, hook, line, *and* sinker everytime...
That was funny. Didn't realize this topic would be controversial. Just wanted to settle that initial discussion we had when he died and it was only strongly *alleged* that he had an affair with the underage servant.
Yeah, this shouldn't have even been in the D&D, it's just a statement of fact, Strom Thurmond had an illigetimate child with a 16 year old girl who cleaned his house. What did this have to do with the Republican party? You went about this all wrong anyway TJ, you should have pointed out that Strom was a Democrat at the time. You just overreacted and jumped in face first and started pointing the finger at other people's sins. What am I supposed to do about Byrd, it's up to the people from his state to vote him out. But you never condemned former segregationists.
