“Black Representative of a White Idea”: John Willis Menard, 1868 Representative-Elect from Louisiana
A person’s social standing has much to do with where they sit, or whether they’re even allowed to do so. During U.S. civil rights protests in the 1960s, Rosa Parks and other Black citizens went to jail over where they sat on buses and at lunch counters. “Having a seat at the table” is a metaphor for being close to power; to act as the “chair” of a committee is to exercise authority over its proceedings. Courts “sit” in judgment...
