"I believe Anita Hill"
For today, I'm going to repeat a blog a wrote in October 2011. I was reminded of Anita Hill because of this new documentary:
Watching that trailer brings it all back for me--the anger I had over the way Anita Hill was being treated, the anger I had that the overwhelmingly male Senate decided to go ahead and put someone like Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, and the frustration that Anita Hill was not believed. Turns out I was not alone in my anger and frustration--many, many women were so moved, they decided to run for public office.
Anita Hill is not remembered? Shame on us.
Here's what I wrote in 2011:
It's hard to believe, looking at the woman in this photo, that she could
be anyone but a mild-mannered professor. In this photo, taken in
October, 1991, Anita Hill was being sworn in at the start of her
appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She was there to
testify about her former boss, Clarence Thomas. You might recognize his name--he's now a Justice on the United States Supreme Court.
Anita Hill had worked for Clarence Thomas in 1981, when he was head of the Office of Civil Rights at the Education Department in Washington, DC. She also worked for him at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1983.
Ms. Hill found out Mr. Thomas was being considered for an appointment to the Court when she was approached and asked about her time working for Thomas. The questions were appropriately vague--looking for verification of facts and dates. For how on earth could the interviewers know, or even understand what had happened in 1981 and again in 1983? How could they know to ask Ms. Hill specifically about the work environment as it pertained to sexual harassment?
In the interests of disclosure--from now on, most of the rest of this blog is my recollections and my opinion. NOBODY but Ms. Hill and Mr. Thomas know what truly happened. But I believe Anita Hill. I have for 20 years, and I firmly believe there is a man on the Supreme Court of the United States that does not deserve to be there.
By all accounts, Anita Hill was, and is, a quiet and private person. I don't think she wanted to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee--what woman in her right mind would willingly open herself up to the questions that were asked of her, the jokes that were made? What woman would willingly re-live painful instances of sexual harassment; not only re-live them, but tell an enormous television audience EXACTLY what had happened? What kind of woman would open herself up like that? A brave one--Anita Hill. She knew what Clarence Thomas had done to her in not just one position of power, but two. Why two jobs? Why did she follow him to another agency? Well, he had stopped harassing her, so she thought she could safely assume Thomas had become a professional. Unfortunately, she was wrong. She had to leave the job in 1983 because the stress had begun to have an effect on her health.
When Anita Hill heard Clarence Thomas was being considered for the Court, she must have had a very difficult choice to make--keep quiet and allow him to sail through the nomination process, or expose him, and in the process, herself? Thank you Anita Hill, for doing the right thing.
You see, back in 1991, not many women were willing to talk about sexual harassment in the work environment. That doesn't mean it didn't happen--it happened more than people thought it did, because it was the dirty little secret that nobody talked about. Because women were embarrassed, men could safely get away with it. Men like Clarence Thomas--he got away with it with Anita Hill and at least 2 other women--2 other women that were also willing to testify but who were not allowed. It's hard to believe, looking back, that Clarence Thomas could not only sexually harass one woman, but who could keep on doing it--because nobody was willing to talk about it.
Sexual harassment in the workplace happened--I know it did, because it happened to my mother, and to other women who couldn't afford to report it--literally couldn't afford it in most cases.
Anita Hill was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was a low moment in this country, and yet it was a turning point too. Many, many, many women were inspired to step forward with their own stories. But mostly women were angered--angered at the treatment of a woman who dared to tell the truth. After watching those hearings, women turned their anger into action--they decided to work for getting laws on the books that would allow women to take action against sexual harassment, they wrote letters, they decided to make their voices heard.
But most of all, women decided to run. To run for office--in record numbers they ran, for every office at every level of government. When asked why they were running, they would cite Anita Hill and her treatment as a catalyst.
Sadly, Anita Hill's testimony had no impact on the decision to appoint Clarence Thomas to the highest, most prestigious Court in America. He's there. He's there, and he's still angry. He's angry and sullen and does not participate at all when the Court is hearing cases. I've seen him first-hand, and he's a disgrace to his office. When I was there, I watched him lean back in his chair, sigh, roll his eyes when one of the female justices asked a question, and generally look annoyed at being there. I just wanted to go up and use my "mom voice" to ask him, "Are we keeping you from something, Clarence?"
Sadly, he's there, and even worse for our country, he's being heavily influenced by the extreme right--for goodness sake, his WIFE works for the largest Tea Party group in America (the conflict of interest is extraordinary).
And sadly, his anger will motive him to stay. Why's Clarence Thomas so angry? Because Anita Hill was telling the truth about his disgusting perversion of power. I believe Anita Hill. And I thank her.
For today, I'm going to repeat a blog a wrote in October 2011. I was reminded of Anita Hill because of this new documentary:
Watching that trailer brings it all back for me--the anger I had over the way Anita Hill was being treated, the anger I had that the overwhelmingly male Senate decided to go ahead and put someone like Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court, and the frustration that Anita Hill was not believed. Turns out I was not alone in my anger and frustration--many, many women were so moved, they decided to run for public office.
Anita Hill is not remembered? Shame on us.
Here's what I wrote in 2011:
I believe Anita Hill
Anita Hill had worked for Clarence Thomas in 1981, when he was head of the Office of Civil Rights at the Education Department in Washington, DC. She also worked for him at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 1983.
Ms. Hill found out Mr. Thomas was being considered for an appointment to the Court when she was approached and asked about her time working for Thomas. The questions were appropriately vague--looking for verification of facts and dates. For how on earth could the interviewers know, or even understand what had happened in 1981 and again in 1983? How could they know to ask Ms. Hill specifically about the work environment as it pertained to sexual harassment?
In the interests of disclosure--from now on, most of the rest of this blog is my recollections and my opinion. NOBODY but Ms. Hill and Mr. Thomas know what truly happened. But I believe Anita Hill. I have for 20 years, and I firmly believe there is a man on the Supreme Court of the United States that does not deserve to be there.
By all accounts, Anita Hill was, and is, a quiet and private person. I don't think she wanted to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee--what woman in her right mind would willingly open herself up to the questions that were asked of her, the jokes that were made? What woman would willingly re-live painful instances of sexual harassment; not only re-live them, but tell an enormous television audience EXACTLY what had happened? What kind of woman would open herself up like that? A brave one--Anita Hill. She knew what Clarence Thomas had done to her in not just one position of power, but two. Why two jobs? Why did she follow him to another agency? Well, he had stopped harassing her, so she thought she could safely assume Thomas had become a professional. Unfortunately, she was wrong. She had to leave the job in 1983 because the stress had begun to have an effect on her health.
When Anita Hill heard Clarence Thomas was being considered for the Court, she must have had a very difficult choice to make--keep quiet and allow him to sail through the nomination process, or expose him, and in the process, herself? Thank you Anita Hill, for doing the right thing.
You see, back in 1991, not many women were willing to talk about sexual harassment in the work environment. That doesn't mean it didn't happen--it happened more than people thought it did, because it was the dirty little secret that nobody talked about. Because women were embarrassed, men could safely get away with it. Men like Clarence Thomas--he got away with it with Anita Hill and at least 2 other women--2 other women that were also willing to testify but who were not allowed. It's hard to believe, looking back, that Clarence Thomas could not only sexually harass one woman, but who could keep on doing it--because nobody was willing to talk about it.
Sexual harassment in the workplace happened--I know it did, because it happened to my mother, and to other women who couldn't afford to report it--literally couldn't afford it in most cases.
Anita Hill was grilled by the Senate Judiciary Committee. It was a low moment in this country, and yet it was a turning point too. Many, many, many women were inspired to step forward with their own stories. But mostly women were angered--angered at the treatment of a woman who dared to tell the truth. After watching those hearings, women turned their anger into action--they decided to work for getting laws on the books that would allow women to take action against sexual harassment, they wrote letters, they decided to make their voices heard.
But most of all, women decided to run. To run for office--in record numbers they ran, for every office at every level of government. When asked why they were running, they would cite Anita Hill and her treatment as a catalyst.
Sadly, Anita Hill's testimony had no impact on the decision to appoint Clarence Thomas to the highest, most prestigious Court in America. He's there. He's there, and he's still angry. He's angry and sullen and does not participate at all when the Court is hearing cases. I've seen him first-hand, and he's a disgrace to his office. When I was there, I watched him lean back in his chair, sigh, roll his eyes when one of the female justices asked a question, and generally look annoyed at being there. I just wanted to go up and use my "mom voice" to ask him, "Are we keeping you from something, Clarence?"
Sadly, he's there, and even worse for our country, he's being heavily influenced by the extreme right--for goodness sake, his WIFE works for the largest Tea Party group in America (the conflict of interest is extraordinary).
And sadly, his anger will motive him to stay. Why's Clarence Thomas so angry? Because Anita Hill was telling the truth about his disgusting perversion of power. I believe Anita Hill. And I thank her.
