Columbia, S.C.
The family of Strom Thurmond, the late South Carolina senator who was once the nation’s leading segregationist, confirmed this week that a retired California teacher was Thurmond’s illegitimate, half-black daughter. The woman, Essie Mae Washington-Williams, was born in 1925 to Carrie Butler, then the Thurmonds’ 16-year-old maid. There were rumors, but Washington-Williams denied everything to protect Thurmond’s career. He ran for president in 1948, promising to uphold segregation. “On the question of the social intermingling of the races,” Thurmond said, “our people draw the line.” After Thurmond died in June, at 100, Washington-Williams resolved to reveal the secret. “It is a part of history,” she said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - January 12, 2025Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - snowed in, dangerous conditions, and more
-
5 fact-checked cartoons about Meta firing its fact checkersCartoons Artists take on playing chicken, information superhighway, and more
-
NCHIs: the controversy over non-crime hate incidentsThe Explainer Is the policing of non-crime hate incidents an Orwellian outrage or an essential tool of modern law enforcement?
