I was on the internet today, when I read an article in 'Slate' that the deceased Senator Strom Thurmond has a black daughter. Her name is Essie Mae Washington Williams, a widowed former school teacher in her 70s. She resides in Los Angeles,CA.

Strom Thurmond apparently had a long time affair with a house servant named Essie Tunch Taylor. Their daughter was born in 1925. According to the article, Thurmond paid his daughter regular visits at the black South Carolina college she attended and apparently supported her financially as well.

How can someone with a black child deny so much opportunity to others like her for so long? Go figure.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2003

Answers

That's unbelievable, but then again, its believable. What tragic irony.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2003

THANKS FOR THE INFO, BUT WHERE CAN I FIND THAT ARTICLE ON MR. THRUMOND.

THANKS,

MARGARET IN KANSAS CITY

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2003

The article can be found in the 'MSN Slate Magazine.' It's address is http://slate.msn.com/id/2085087/. Apparently, the information was pulled from a 1998 biography titled "Old Strom" by Jack Bass and Marilyn W. Thompson.

-- Anonymous, July 02, 2003

Senator Thurmond's black paramour and "love child" was one of the best kept secrets in the state of South Carolina until some students at South Carolina State College (Orangeburg, SC) began "connecting the dots" about 40 years ago. It's interesting how the media coverage (major networks)of Strom always referenced his peculiar libido activities at age 65+ yet Sen. Thurmond sired a black child in his twenties. Fact 1 - Thurmond was a segregationist in mind and heart up to his Great Awakening (circa 1980). He probably died a segregationist in mind. Now being a segregationist does not necessarily suggest that the late Senator hated blacks. A segregationist like Thurmond was driven by the impeachable idea that Constitutional guarantees should not be extended to certain Americans because of race. Thurmond thought racial proximity when it involved access and opportunity contemptible in scope. Fact 2 - Thurmond was indeed a hypocrite. He is not alone in this indictment. Like most Southern men of his generation, he too enjoyed the company of black women to satisfy prurient desires. Fact 3 - Thurmond was a political realist. He understood later that to continue with his unabashedly segregationist instincts would spell political demise, so like a chameleon, he changed his political views. Now what will be interesting to observe will be the post-mortem comments about the life of Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV). The ageless legendary and astute Constitutional authority also has a rather checkered past about racial inequality in the US which has been carefully suppressed by party operatives. I will be watching and reading closely. QED

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2003

Poor Strom suffered from the "backyard syndrome" as described in the book "Killers of the Dream." It is a shame that he spent so much time and energy in finding ways to prohibit minorities from enjoying equal rights and privileges. I guess he truly believed in State's Rights. Isn't it something that we are good enough to sleep with, yet not good enough to be viewed as equals. But hey, he was only expressing his interpretation of the consitution...from a white, southern, good ol'boy perspective!

-- Anonymous, July 05, 2003

I'm from North Augusta, SC just 15 minutes, from Edgefield SC. This is a known fact in the comunity. But not only that, if one digs deeper in this town of many malattos that past for white in early 1900's. from what im told. Thurmond's maternal side of the family has black ancestry. that later passed for white. reseach the Pendarvises of Edgefield. I'm sure you will find this to be interesting. Perhaps he did'nt want his true genetics to be known as well.

-- Anonymous, July 13, 2003