Anita: Speaking Truth to Power

I remember Anita Hill's testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1991. (I almost wrote Hill's "trial" because that's what it felt like.) During it, she was asked questions by Senators, led by Joe Biden, that made her repeat and describe, again and again, Clarence Thomas's vulgar and grotesque treatment of her when she worked with him-- or, more to the point, worked for him. It's much harder to issue a complaint about a boss than a colleague. During the testimony, one of my sisters phoned me and said, "I feel like I'm being sexually abused, exposed to this." She was right. The Senate put the whole country through an ordeal that was vile and, as it turned out, ignored: they confirmed Clarence Thomas anyway.

Hill's impact was not ignored by the media, though, or the nation.

This is a completely conventional documentary. I hesitate to offer a single criticism of it because Anita Hill is the subject, and she-- like so many civil rights activists before her-- is an inspiration throughout. Her calmness, her unflinching determination, and her intelligence shine through every stage of her story.

The film interviews a variety of people, all of whom shed light on the way race and gender issues are mishandled in Washington, where all that seems to matter, in the end, is power.

If you don't remember the Anita Hill story you should see this story. If you remember Anita Hill and the media around the story...you don't really know the story. Speaking truth to power is the sub-title and is the tale of her life story. Amazing how far our country has come since 1991, and how far it still has to go. Anita's bravery in standing up and telling the truth, being a good American and doing the right thing, when she had so much to lose is more than most of us would have the courage to do. From her childhood in Oklahoma, to Yale Law, to DC, and beyond this film by an Oscar Award Winner tells Anita's story beautifully and shows how much she gave up to tell the truth about Clarence Thomas. It's time to open our eyes. See it.

I watched this documentary about Anita Hill's 1991 testimony before the state judiciary committee against her former boss, U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, for his repeated sexual harassment to refresh my memory and learn more about circumstances surrounding the events.

It was interesting to learn about Hill's life, see who was supporting her, (her wonderful family, Professor Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School, and others), and wrenching to rewatch what are to me excruciating details of this terrible, sexist, judgmental, power-system that masquerades as justice.

As I the watched the self-righteous men click their pens and grill Anita, I heard Tom Wolfe's words echo in my head, "They have a way of making the vicim look like the criminal and the criminal the victim." They of course did that quick flip and turned valid charges of sexual harassment into claims of racial harassment against Clarence Thomas.

Joe Biden is responsible for not having called the witnesses who could have corroborated Anita Hill; that's not something I can or want to forget.

Like many women, I've experienced gender based violence and sexual harassment, which is just part of the problem of gender inequality. I've also been a witness in two trials, neither was a picnic, and in both I was attacked for speaking the truth. In one trial, the criminal was put away; in the other, the corruption prevailed and the criminal went on to hurt other women and is still free today. In my experience, American courts and the U.S. government are unflinchingly corrupt.

Near the end of the film, Anita says, "Despite the high cost that is involved, it is worth having the truth emerge." I agree with her, but what a struggle it is. Why don't people come forward more readily? Because they are blamed and skewered when they do.

I believe Anita Hill. Never a question about it. She told her friends and colleagues at the time and well... she's telling the truth.

It saddened me, but I'm glad I watched the movie.

Anita Hill shares her story about the sexual harassment she suffered from her former boss Clarence Thomas to the US Senators in this documentary. Throughout the whole proceedings, it appeared that the senators had been intimidating Mrs. Hill to repeatedly recount the disgusting details in an effort to humiliate and demoralize her, but she remained calm, patient, and determined to express her point. Her claims was not taken seriously, yet even so, I was delighted to know she had a positive influence on others. She might not have believed that voicing the truth would benefit her much, but in reality, it impacted a lot of others who were or are hesitant to speak out against their boss for fear of losing their jobs, having their reputations tarnished or receiving threats.

Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Thurgood Marshall announced his retirement on June 27, 1991. President George Bush nominated Clarence Thomas to fill the vacant seat. Senator Joseph Biden chaired the Senate committee to offer a report to recommend the Senate to consent or not. The process moved smoothly, until someone leaked a letter from Anita Hill. Ms. Hill was a professor at the University of Oklahoma College of Law,where she taught commercial law and contracts. Earlier she had worked at the U. S. Equal Opportunity Commission. There, her boss, Clarence Thomas, she said, sexually harassed her. Biden's committee took her testimony, then shut down without considering other witnesses.

Freida Lee Mock's documentary about Ms Hill starts with that point of history, commencing with a "just the facts" attitude, and gradually comes to Ms. Hill's side. That takes the audience about 45 minutes into the movie. After that, we get a sympathetic half hour of Ms. Hill's roots, the impact of her testimony on her, and her life over the next twenty years.

Today, Clarence Thomas is still an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He is still beset by scandal. Joseph Biden is President of the United States. The first subheading on the EEOC website leads to instructions on how to file a charge of discrimination. Ms. Hill teaches at Brandeis University.