UCLA’s race, equity director appears to wish for Justice Thomas to die: ‘no one wants to openly admit’

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UCLA’s Director of Race and Equity appeared last week to wish for the death of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, suggesting in a tweet that no one wants to say it out loud. 

"No one wants to openly admit [we all] hope Clarence Thomas dies. Whatever you need to tell yourselves," Jonathan Perkins tweeted on Thursday. By Monday, Perkins’ Twitter feed had been set to private mode.  

A tweet from Jonathan Perkins (Twitter/@JonathanPerk)

Perkins, who studied at the University of Virginia School of Law, added that the notion of not wishing ill on people is "silly." 

"Uncle Thomas is a sexist token who’s committed himself to making us all share in he and his treasonous wife’s misery," he added. 

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Fox News reached out to Perkins for comment, but he hung up. In a statement to Fox News, Anna Spain Bradley, Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UCLA said Perkin’s tweet "does not reflect my or UCLA EDI’s views." 

The UCLA Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion includes accountability and enhancing communication among its core missions.

FILE - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivers a keynote speech during a dedication of Georgia new Nathan Deal Judicial Center in Atlanta, Feb. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/John Amis, File)

"Uncle Thomas" refers to "Uncle Tom," which is a derogatory remark leveled at Black people who are considered to be overly subservient to White people or deemed "traitors to their race." The term derives from the 1852 novel, "Uncle Tom’s Cabin" in which the titular character is regarded as being loyal to his slave masters. Progressives often lodge the insult at Black people who hold conservative views, such as Justice Clarence Thomas.

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Perkins’ "sexist token" remark refers to Thomas having faced allegations of sexual harassment, most notably from Anita Hill during his 1991 Supreme Court nomination. 

Thomas, 73, has been in the headlines in recent weeks over his health and his wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas. He was admitted to the hospital on March 18 after experiencing "flu-like symptoms" and was treated for an infection with intravenous antibiotics. 

FILE - Ginni Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a special correspondent for The Daily Caller, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Oxon Hill, Md., Feb. 23, 2017.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Meanwhile, Ginni Thomas, a longtime conservative activist, has been accused of imploring former President Donald Trump’s White House chief of staff to act to overturn the 2020 election results – putting a spotlight on how justices decide whether to recuse themselves from certain cases. 

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While the Supreme Court did not step into any election cases brought by Trump and other Republicans, Justice Thomas took part in the consideration of whether to hear those cases. He was also the lone vote to keep House lawmakers investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot from obtaining contested White House documents. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.