Georgia Democrat calls Justice Clarence Thomas an ‘Uncle Tom’, admits he does not know origin of term

"I'm just trying to tell you what we have in the African American community when we talk about a person of color that goes back historically to the days of slavery and that person betraying his own community – we have a term in the Black community," said state Sen. Emanuel Jones. "That term that we use is called 'Uncle Tom.' An Uncle Tom… talks about a person who back during the days of slavery sold his soul to the slave masters."

Jones would then admit that he does not know the origins of the term "Uncle Tom," and doesn't even know if it's a fictional or non-fictional character. Uncle Tom is the title character of Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin.

"And Uncle Tom is a either fictional or nonfictional character, I don’t really know the origin of Uncle Tom, but it talks about a person who back during the days of slavery sold his soul to the slave masters."

The Republican-led state Senate voted 32-20 along party lines on Tuesday to approve of the statue. Thomas, a native of Georgia, was praised as a hero by Republican Sen. Ben Watson, who sponsored the motion.

"Clarence Thomas… has lived a life marked by tremendous achievement," Watson said. "This native son of Georgia deserves a place of honor and recognition on our Capitol grounds, a place where future generations of Georgians can learn valuable lessons from his legacy and gain inspiration and belief that their lofty dreams are obtainable too in America, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born."

Democrats, however, made Thomas out to be a villain, with some calling him "problematic."

"His service is problematic," said Sen. Nan Orrock of Atlanta, referring to sexual harassment allegations from 1991. "There's a cloud over his service… and that cloud continues today."