THURMOND’S LEGACY
Reactions to claim of kinship mixed
by Jennifer Talhelm
Knight Ridder
‘I just find it to be an irony that while [Thurmond] was one of the people talking about separation of the races … that he had an intimate relationship with one of those people.’ – Rev. Joe Darby | vice president of the state NAACP
A Los Angeles woman’s claim that she is the late Strom Thurmond’s illegitimate daughter is an uncalled-for personal attack, some of the senator’s friends and associates said Saturday.
But other S.C. politicians and historians said Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ story shouldn’t be a surprise. Many people, black and white, have whispered about Thurmond’s rumored illegitimate daughter for decades.