Saturday, November 25, 2017
Interview with Anita Hill and Women in Congress
I came across this article in the Washington Post a couple days ago that is an interview with Anita Hill and some of the women in Congress at the time who demanded that she should be able to testify during Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearings. It's a super interesting read since it also talks about how little Joe Biden and other Democratic male congressman did to help Hill during the hearings.
It talks about the Senate Gym as a place where many deals were made but which most women would not go to. They also discuss the "Year of the Woman" which was super interesting.
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Wow, thanks for sharing this Harini! First of all, I know it wasn't part of the actual article, but I really enjoyed watching the clip of Anita Hill's interview with the reporter - we've talked a lot about her hearing in class, and I think it's important to hear her own opinions and thoughts reflecting back now.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Joe Biden was part of Hill's hearing, and its disappointing to read that he did not show any kind of ownership or responsibility for what she went through during a recent interview (saying "No" in response to whether he would do anything differently with regards to Anita Hill). I also wanted to highlight one of her comments about the process behind reporting sexual misconduct:
"You cannot just bring people forward into a process where you know they’re not going to be treated fairly. That’s not being heard. That’s something that we are struggling with right now. Women are coming in to make a complaint, and the process is unfair and employers are saying, “Well, we have a process.” Well, that’s not enough."
I think as our society as a whole is currently becoming more aware of sexual harassment issues, its important to remember Hill's words and move towards creating a just process for addressing allegations. Just like Hill, I am optimistic that "change will come!"