Whoopi Goldberg slammed Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas for questioning the meaning of diversity after the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action Thursday.
Thomas was one of the six conservatives on the court who determined that admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did not comply with the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection.
Goldberg, who often takes aim at conservatives on ABC’s daytime talk show “The View,” said Thomas “doesn’t get it” and questioned how he could not know what diversity is — a remark that referenced comments Thomas made during oral arguments on the case.
She also said that people of color had to go out and make a change in order to secure the right to vote because the 14th Amendment didn’t guarantee anything.
“Could your mother and father vote in this country because had the 14th Amendment actually had us on equal footing, they would have been able to vote. And you know why that changed? Because people got out and made a change,” Goldberg said.
“Who wants to get hit by water from a water hose? Nobody. But that’s what people did in order to get the vote. So when you say you don’t know what diversity is, I say you’re full of it.”
Thomas, during oral arguments, pushed North Carolina Solicitor General Ryan Park, who represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), for a more specific definition of the term diversity.
“I’d like you to give us a specific definition of diversity in the context of the University of North Carolina,” Thomas said.
Park said the college’s definition of diversity aligns with the Supreme Court’s definition, which is “a broadly diverse set of criteria that extends to all different backgrounds and perspectives, and not solely limited to race.”
“We value diversity of all different kinds and all the ways that people differ in our society,” he continued.
In addition, Park responded to a question from Thomas about how diversity benefits the education of students at UNC.
Park said diversity without question leads to a “deeper and richer learning environment” in addition to more creative thinking and a better exchange of ideas. He also said it reduces bias.
But Thomas questioned Park’s response.
“I didn’t go to racially diverse schools, but there were educational benefits,” he said.
Thomas is one of two African American justices on the high court.
In a rare move, he chose to read his concurring opinion from the bench, advocating for a colorblind view of the Constitution.
Goldberg said Thomas’s comments make Asian, Native American and Black kids feel like they don’t matter.
“Like you don’t understand why my struggle is hard,” she said.