Anita Hill’s story is unfortunately not unfamiliar. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony regarding her sexual assault at the hands of the now Supreme Court Justice Kavanaugh still feels raw and recent. However, when Hill spoke to the Senate regarding Justice Clarence Thomas, misogyny ran rampant in government (this was not long before Clinton and Lewinsky), and sexual misconduct was not in the day-to-day vocabulary of Americans.
The voicemail left on Anita Hill’s WORK answering machine by Justice Thomas’ wife 20 odd years after her initial testimony is hard to listen to. The imagination, time and effort that would go into falsifying the allegations made is the first thing that comes to my mind. Who would go to the trouble, and put their own name and reputation at risk? It was truly crushing to open with such blatant victim-blaming from one woman towards another. The voicemail itself makes me feel as if Thomas’ wife is full of hate, hate that could be better directed towards her husband for his actions.
The questions asked of Hill that we hear in “Anita: Speaking Truth to Power” are mind-boggling to say the least. One of the first we hear asked of her is to recount the most embarrassing situation she found herself in with Thomas. When she later mentions that both living through the events and recounting them are equally as painful, no one bats an eyelash. Senator Howell Heflin goes as far as to ask her if she is a “scorned woman.” Victims are often made out to be something they are not, which is in the wrong. They are not seeking to be sexually harassed. So why do we constantly ask them such pointed questions?
Thank you so much Prof. Munshi for giving us an extension on Module 10. I have been going through some personal issues and found myself lagging behind on all my schoolwork (and everything else) last week, so it was incredibly helpful. I think I speak for all of my classmates when I say we appreciate your understanding and compassion!