Anita (2013) - full transcript

Good morning, Anita Hill.

It's Ginni Thomas,
and I just wanted

to reach across the airwaves
and the years

and ask you
to consider something.

I would love you to consider
an apology sometime

and some full explanation
of why you did

what you did with my husband.

So, give it some thought.

I certainly pray about this
and hope that one day

you'll help us understand
why you did what you did.

Okay.



Have a good day.

Can you tell the committee

what was the most embarrassing

of all the incidences
that you have alleged?

I think the one that
was the most embarrassing

was his discussion
of pornography

involving these women
with large breasts

engaged in a variety of sex

with different people
or animals.

That was the thing that made
me feel the most humiliated.

He got up from the table,

looked at the can and asked

"Who has put pubic hair
on my coke?"

On other occasions,



he referred
to the size of his own penis

as being larger than normal.

I was threatened,

that sexual violence
threatens my job.

Bomb threats to my house,
packages that were viable.

This is where I got
the voicemail message

from Ginni Thomas.

But it was still quite
shocking to come

and actually sit at my desk

and be at the phone
and hear this voice.

You know, I, frankly thought

this has got to be
somebody impersonating her.

But either way I thought,

whether it's her
or someone impersonating her,

this is an important call.

After all, I thought, you know,

if this is someone
really trying to get

a witness to change
her sworn testimony,

we ought to know about it

and we ought to know
who's doing it.

And I am very proud indeed

to nominate him
for this position

and I trust that the senate

will confirm
this able man promptly.

I expected to be a part
of the vetting process.

When I heard
about the nomination,

it was the summer time

and it was a typical
hot summer in Oklahoma.

The school session was out.

The FBI and the background
checks were very extensive.

You know, anybody and everybody,

especially who's ever worked
with a person will get a call.

And that's what
I expected to happen.

Once I got the call

specifically directed at me
from the Senate itself,

once that call came,
I knew what I had to do.

We understand that you
experienced sexual harassment

at the hands of Clarence Thomas.

That was what I answered.

More specifically
about the behavior.

Pressuring for dates,
the sex talk in the workplace,

the feeling that my job
was really in jeopardy.

But that was also,
what I said, you know,

I really would like to have
a chance to do a statement

in my own words.

I don't want this to be
a political witch hunt.

And I sent it in believing
that it would be confidential,

but believing that the senators

would take it into account.

I suspected that there
would be other women.

And that they needed to...
To really fully investigate it

and not just rely
on my statement.

And so I sent it in with my name

and it was leaked.

Good evening, from Congress

to the White House
to the workplace,

the sexual harassment storm

around Clarence Thomas
is intensifying.

The battle over his
Supreme Court nomination

has now triggered
a nationwide debate

about sexual harassment
on the job.

We are outraged that the senate
is not taking seriously,

these allegations of sexual
harassment of a black woman.

Most of us don't understand,

what sexual harassment is.

And if you're sexual harassed,
you ought to get mad about it

and you ought to do
something about it

and you ought to complain.

Instead of hanging around
a long time

and then all of a sudden
calling up anonymously and say,

"I want to complain."

I still think they should
investigate further

just because he's gonna be
a Supreme Court justice

and he's gonna be
making decisions

that's gonna affect
the entire country.

I felt that as a citizen,
as an individual

who had information
that it was my obligation

when approached to come forward

and I did that.

Mrs. Hill, by coming forward,
have you been a victim twice?

You know, I hate to use
those kinds of terms.

Reliving this experience has...

I mean, it has been
really bad for me.

I mean, it's...
I can't even describe.

It was bad enough
to experience it once.

It is an unpleasant issue.

It's an ugly issue.

And people don't want
to deal with it generally

and in particular in this case.

Until I wrote that statement
to the Senate,

I really hadn't allowed myself

to sit down and put together

all the details
of what had happened.

And how awful it was

and how painful it was
for me to have to leave work

that I loved
in order to escape it.

No comment.
Thank you.

I don't have any comments,
thank you.

I really just want to go in
to teach my class.

I can talk to you
about contracts

if anybody's interested.

Even after it was leaked,
no one on that committee...

They had voted it out.

They were not interested
in hearing from me.

But they started
hearing from the public.

Stop Thomas now!
Stop Thomas now!

Stop Thomas now!

Stop Thomas now!
Stop Thomas now!

And now we're going over
to tell the Senate

that we are enraged.

Women like Eleanor Holmes Norton

and Patricia Schroeder
marched over to the Senate

and got turned away
by the Sergeant at Arms,

because they were out of order
going over to the Senate side.

Um, that, the pressure
that they began to exert

and then the public followed.

And said, "You have
to reconvene the hearing."

I think America's women
really want to see this body

start doing something
for them than to them.

To any victim
of sexual harassment

or sexual abuse
or sexual violence

either in the street
or even in their own home,

the message is, nobody's
gonna take you seriously,

not even
the United States Senate.

Once I did get
the phone call from Joe Biden

and found out
that I was going to testify,

that I was gonna be subpoenaed,

I was trying to figure out
what I was going to do.

I had no idea
what I was gonna get into.

As a private citizen,

I was watching this
on television.

I was watching it
in the newspapers.

I was totally disconnected,

I mean, literally in the middle
of the country in Oklahoma

from what was going on
in Washington, D.C.

Sexual harassment
is a serious matter.

This is a hearing convened
for a specific purpose.

To air specific allegations

against one specific individual.

Allegations which may be true
or may not be true.

I didn't expect
any part of the investigation

of a Supreme Court nominee
to be partisan.

I assumed that everybody

on the Senate
Judiciary Committee

wanted to make sure
that they were putting

somebody who was
ultimately qualified

and who was
of the highest integrity.

She just had no idea
that she was walking

into the political lions den

and that supporters
of Justice Thomas

would be out to shred
her credibility.

Welcome, Professor Hill.

It literally
didn't to occur to her

that an opposition campaign
would be waged against her.

Mr. Chairman,
Senator Thurmond,

members of the Committee,

my name is Anita F. Hill

and I am a professor of law
at the University of Oklahoma.

I was born on a farm
in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma.

I am the youngest
of 13 children.

My purpose was to
as clearly as possible

tell the Senate about behavior
that I had experienced

at the hand of Clarence Thomas.

I couldn't say,

"Well, I'm gonna prove
sexual harassment."

I couldn't do that.

I could say,
"This is what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna tell
what happened to me."

In 1981, I was introduced

to now Judge Thomas
by a mutual friend.

He was, in fact,

appointed as Assistant Secretary
of Education for Civil Rights.

He asked
if I would become his assistant

and I accepted that position.

After approximately
three months of working there

he asked me to go out socially
with him.

What happened next
and telling the world about it

are the two
most difficult things,

experiences of my life.

It would have been more
comfortable to remain silent.

But when I was asked

by a representative
of this committee

to report my experience...

I felt that I had
to tell the truth.

I could not keep silent.

Can you tell me
what incidences occurred

of the ones
you've described to us

occurred in his office?

Well, I recall specifically
that the incident

about the coke can

occurred in his office
at the EEOC.

And what was
that incident again?

The incident
with regard to the coke can

that's spelled out
in my statement.

Would you describe it
once again for me, please?

The... Um, incident involved

his going to his desk,
getting up from a work table,

going to his desk,
looking at this can and saying,

"Who put pubic hair
on my coke?"

Was anyone else
in his office at the time?

No.

Again, it's difficult,
but for the record,

what substance did he bring up
in this instance

at EEOC in his office?

What was the content
of what he said?

Well, this was a reference
to an individual

who, um, had a very large penis.

And he used the name that he had
been referred to in the pro...

Pornographic material.

Um.

Do you recall what it was?

Yes, I do.

Um, the name that was referred
to was "Long Dong Silver."

I mean, it was awful.

And it was, it was awful,
it was disappointing

and I had to deal
with all those emotions

and then try to stay focused
on why I was there.

Why I knew I was there.

The issues that you raised
about Judge Thomas,

you referred to
as an ugly issue.

Is that how you viewed
these conversations?

Yes, they were very ugly.

They were very dirty and the...
They were disgusting.

Now, again, for the record,
did he just say...

"I have great physical
capabilities and attributes."

Or was he more graphic than...

He was much more graphic.

Can you tell us what he said?

Well, I can tell you that
he compared his penis size.

He measured his penis
in terms of le-length,

um, those kinds of comments.

The spectacle of those hearings,

in some ways was created

by the all white male
judiciary committee.

Clumsily trying to ask questions

about what was then
not a familiar subject,

sexual harassment.

It was unusual in how graphic

the details were and strange.

The whole country
was k-kind of going places

that it hadn't been
together before.

I can remember
in that hearing room

which is like Rococo
and very beautiful

and thinking when I heard
the words pubic hair

said in this setting that just
seemed truly a bit surreal.

But in order to speak
to the facts of who said what,

you know, those details
did come pouring out.

But they all looked rather
foolish talking about things

like "Long Dong Silver"
and other matters.

That the most embarrassing
question involved...

This is not too bad,
women's large breasts.

That's a word we use
all the time.

That was the most
embarrassing aspect

of what Judge Thomas
had said to you?

No, the most embarrassing aspect
was his description

of the acts of
these individuals, these women.

The acts

that those particular people
would engage in.

It wasn't just the breasts,
it was...

They thought that
the more they pressed

on these details and got
Anita Hill to repeat them,

the more absurd
and made up they would seem.

I think they were trying
to trip her up because they,

like, couldn't believe things

like this would
or could be said.

They were humiliating her a little bit too

by making her go over this
again and again and again.

And she was
an interesting witness.

I mean she was
so calm and poised.

I noticed there are a number of
people sitting behind you.

Are any of them
your family members

you'd like to introduce?

Well, actually,

my family members
haven't arrived yet.

Yes, they have.
They're outside the door.

They weren't here
for my statement.

Well, we will,
make room for your family

to be able to sit down.

It's a very large family,
Senator.

When they walked
through that door,

I knew that I had what it would
take to get through that day,

however long it lasted.

At the time my parents were 79

and lived
a pretty sheltered life.

But it didn't matter.

What really mattered
to them was that

their daughter was going
to be questioned under oath.

She had always told me
throughout my life

that I was stubborn.

And so, I knew I was stubborn.

Because she had told me
I was stubborn

and at that point,
it paid to be stubborn.

This is not too bad,
I can read it.

Thomas liked to discuss
specific sex acts

and frequency of sex.

Close quote.

Now, are you saying,
in response to my questions

to why you didn't tell the FBI

about the size
of his private parts

and his sexual prowess
and "Long John Silver"

that that information
was comprehended

within the statement,

quote, Thomas liked
to discuss specific "sext" act...

Sex acts and frequency of sex?

I am not saying that

that information
was included in that...

Senator Specter,
he took an adversarial role.

It was clear that Specter had
come in with a closed mind.

He wasn't open
to hearing the facts.

That was really,
a real disappointment,

I think, to people.

They didn't understand.

In fact, they thought
that I was on trial.

But when you testified that,
as I wrote it down,

quote, we ought to look
at pornographic movies together.

That was an expression of
what was in your mind that he...

That was the inference
that I drew, yes, when his...

With his pre-pressing me
for social engagements, yes.

That that was something
he might have wanted you to do,

but the fact is flatly,

he never asked you to look
at pornographic movies with him.

With him, no he did not.

Well, I do think they thought,

maybe we can just wear her down

if we keep asking questions
and keep badgering.

Maybe, you know,
she'll give us something

that we'll be able to take out

and, you know, use against her.

We all came together

'cause we were
concerned about her.

The reason I got involved,
it was pretty amazing.

If you look around Anita Hill,

even if you look
at the photograph

of those who volunteered
to help her,

there were no black men
who supported her publicly.

In fact, some had tried
to persuade her

to not testify
against Clarence Thomas.

You don't do that to a brother.

And she says, "What?
Look what happened to me."

It was sort of a startling
revelation to me

that here's a woman
who has been harassed

much of her professional life

and has had to keep it a secret

like so many thousands of women
around the country.

And I thought it was important
that I stood with her,

that I wouldn't want it
to happen to my wife,

to my mother, to my daughter.

And so that to me
was an important step.

When you're talking
about a handful of middle aged

and older men
who just were uncomfortable

with this subject matter.

Ted Kennedy, his own life
was so compromise,

that he could barely speak up.

I mean, and there were
Saturday Night Live skits

about him with a paper bag
on this head.

The Democrats really
didn't rescue Anita Hill

as they could have.

And the Republicans were busy
basically disemboweling her.

There you have
the Chairman of the EEOC,

the Nation's chief
law enforcement officer

of sexual harassment.

And here you have a lawyer
who's an expert in this field,

later goes on
to teach civil rights

and has a dedication
to making sure

that women are not
discriminated against.

How could he allow this kind of
reprehensible conduct to go on

right in the headquarters

without doing
something about it?

Well, it was a very trying

and difficult decision for me

not to say anything further.

I can only say that
when I made the decision

to just withdraw
from the situation

and not press a claim
or charge against him,

that I may have, shirked a duty,

a responsibility that I had.

I remember at the time

there were very few
of these cases

that had been heard by judges.

Judges, even though
the laws weren't above,

were very resistant to them.

Most of us resisted
and gave every impression

that these advances
were unwanted.

But most of us
did not file a complaint

against our harassers.

We look for better work
most of the time.

In trying to determine...

whether you had telling
falsehoods or not...

I've got to determine
what your motivation might be.

Are you a scorned woman?

No.

Do you have a martyr complex?

No, I don't.

Well, do you see
that coming out of this

that you can be a hero...

in the civil rights movement?

I do not have
that kind of complex.

I don't like all of
the attention that I'm getting.

I don't... I... I would not,

even if I liked the attention,

I would not lie
to get attention.

And the impression is that,

is he giving her a hard time?

No, he was asking her
the questions

that somebody sitting in
Alabama or Mississippi

or South Carolina or Oklahoma
might want to hear.

Why are you doing this?

That's that was his question,
why are you doing this?

Who are you?

And that was her chance to say,
I'm none of those things.

I'm a law professor,
I love my students,

I want to teach them the law.

Did they ask you if you'd be
willing to take a polygraph?

They asked if I would be
willing to take a polygraph.

And what did you say?

I answered yes.

The issue became my character

as opposed to the character
of the nominee.

When a student happened to say

that he saw pubic hairs
in an exam,

that's just below the belt.

They went
to the ends of the earth

to find dirt on Anita Hill.

I mean, they were digging
through students

she'd had in-in law school

and these were these kids joking

about how there might be pubes
in their term papers.

Next thing they knew,
there were people calling

from the US Senate
wanting affidavits

so they could get
the alleged pube

and put it under a microscope.

Miss Hill's
character and credibility

has been assailed
from the beginning.

It was my judgment,
given the accusations

that had been made
over the last few days

about fantasy, about grudges,
about being a martyr,

about light skinned
versus black skinned women,

that this has just gone
too far...

We knew that
there's no saving this.

This is just a charade.

We weren't going to be able
to put on witnesses,

we weren't going to be able
to do anything in the Senate.

That's why we said,
let's go get a polygraph test.

Let's have our hearing outside
and let the public know that.

Are you lying to me
about the various topics

that Clarence Thomas
mentioned to you

regarding specific sexual acts?

Are you lying to me

about Clarence Thomas
making reference,

references to you
about the size of his penis?

And it was my opinion
that there was no indication

of deception to any of
those relevant questions.

I would call home
every night to check in.

My daughter was
just 12 years old.

They said she wanted
to talk to me.

I said, "Rashida,
what are you doing up,

close to midnight
on the Sunday night?"

She said, "Daddy,
I was watching the hearing."

I said, "Rashida, you shouldn't
be watching this."

"Well, I just wanted
to tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"I believe Anita."

And that to me
brought it all home.

I hope we're not going to hear

a lot more comments
about fantasy stories.

Or how there've been attempts
in the eleventh hour

to derail this, this nomination.

I hope we can clear this room
of the dirt and innuendo

and I hope
we're gonna be sensitive

to the attempts of character
assassination on Professor Hill.

They're unworthy.

But let me tell ya,

if what you say this man
said to you occurred,

why in God's name,

when he left
his position of power

or status or authority over you,

and you left it in 1983,

why in God's name
would you ever speak

to a man like that
the rest of your life?

That's a very good question.

And I'm sure
that I cannot answer

that to your satisfaction.

I really loved the work
that I was doing

and I loved the chance to work
on issues where there was...

There were age discrimination,

tasteless or race
discrimination cases,

gender in the employment arena.

And that's why
I went to the EEOC.

At the time
that I moved to the EEOC,

the behavior had stopped.

And that's all I wanted.

People misunderstand that
harassment is about the sex.

It's really about control
and power and abusing it.

Do you think
that he got some pleasure

out of seeing you ill
at ease and vulnerable?

I think so, yes.

Was this feeling more so than
the feeling that you might...

That he might be seeking
some type of dating

or social relationship with?

I think it was
a combination of factors.

I think that he wanted
to see me vulnerable

and that if I were vulnerable,

then he could extract from me
whatever he wanted.

Whether it was sexual
or otherwise

that I would be at his,
under his control.

I just answered the questions
and really said,

you know,
it's not gonna last forever.

You did not characterize
Judge Thomas's conduct

as sexual harassment

when you gave the statement
to the FBI, correct?

Well, Senator, I guess
I'm not making myself clear.

I was not raising a legal claim

in either of my statements.

I was not raising a legal claim.

I was attempting
to inform about conduct.

I did find it shocking.

What I got was questions
that really weren't

very well informed

on the one hand and then,

questions that were hostile
on the other.

So that you are
not now drawing a conclusion

that Judge Thomas
sexually harassed you?

Yes, I am drawing
that conclusion.

Well, then, I don't understand.

- Pardon me?
- That I don't understand.

Well, let me
try to explain again.

I expected them
to be better informed.

There were experts
who offered to testify

about women's experiences
in the workplace

who could have
helped the staffers

prepare the senators.

It seems to me that the behavior

has to be evaluated

on it's own

with regard to the fitness
of this individual

to act
as an associate of justice.

And the reasons we're here

is that it's very difficult

for some of our colleagues

to deal with issues
of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment
is painful, it exists,

it's real, it's not imaginary.

There's not only
a gender gap in our country,

there's a gender chasm.

Sexual harassment
is every bit as evil

as any other type
of unethical conduct.

Did you discuss it
with anybody at that time?

Yes, I did.

One thing Anita told me

that struck me particularly
and that I remember

almost verbatim was that
Mr. Thomas had said to her,

"You know if you had witnesses,

you'd have a perfect case
against me."

Anita Hill told me
that she was upset

because her boss

was making sexual advances
towards her.

I saw the news stories
about Anita Hill.

And I instantly remembered
the fact that she had told me

about her dealings
with Clarence Thomas.

I remember saying to myself,
she's about to get creamed.

I remember this because
I don't use creamed,

it's not a word I use a lot.

But it... that came out that way
in my own mind.

She's about to get creamed

and I feel really bad for her.

In the fall of 1982,

Professor Hill shared with me
in confidence

the fact that she considered
Judge Thomas's behavior

toward her in the office
to be inappropriate.

She did tell me
they were sexual in nature.

I remember
talking to her by telephone

while she was in the hospital.

And she explained to me

that what she was suffering
from appeared to be job related,

job stress related.

And taking this phone call
from her.

And she was in a bad mood

and prodding her to tell me
what was bothering her.

Professor Hill
responded reluctantly

and with obvious emotion
and embarrassment

that she had been
sexually harassed

by her supervisor at the EEOC.

It was so absurd,

the idea that

the head of the EEOC

would engage
in sexual harassment.

I'm not sure I know what...

What is
and isn't sexual harassment,

but the idea
that they would engage in

what seemed like repeated,
unwanted advances...

Um, was just so incredible.

I wonder
how many tens of thousands,

of millions of men
in this country,

work for a boss who treats them
like a lackey,

tells them to do certain things
and stay on the job.

And we never ask why does
that man stay on the job?

My mother told me,

um, and I'm sure
Anita's mother told her

when you leave, make sure
you leave friends behind

because you don't know
who you may need later on.

And so you at least
want to be cordial.

I know I get Christmas cards
from people

that I don't see from one end
of the year to the other

and quite frankly,
do not wish to.

And I also return their cards

and will return their calls.

And so you grit your teeth
and you do it.

Did she ever indicate to you

that she was a zealous
cause person?

I am a...

I am a corporate,
sort of a Wall Street lawyer,

by profession and...

And I would consider myself

a militant compared
to Anita Hill.

If someone had asked me
a few weeks ago,

I would say that I could imagine

Professor Hill coming
before this committee

in a very different capacity

as a judicial nominee herself.

I think her opportunities
for that now have,

have been destroyed.

I think she paid a big price.

She said what she said.

I and it turned out
three other people at least

had heard the same story
seven years ago.

And I couldn't figure
how anyone could reconcile it

otherwise than being the truth.

Why would someone
make up this story

in order to use it
seven years later?

It just...
I couldn't understand it.

This wasn't about the truth,
it was about winning.

And that's it...

Well, it's about politics
which is always true

about Washington.

Do you have anything
to gain by coming here?

Has anybody promised you
anything by coming forth

with this story now?

I have not gained anything

except for knowing
that I came forward

and did, what I felt

that I had an obligation to do
and that was to tell the truth.

And my last question.

Would your life be simpler,
quieter

and far more private
had you never come forth at all?

Yes.

Norman, Oklahoma
is a much simpler,

quieter place
than this room today.

Do you think
now having told your side

and responded
to these questions that

you reputation
from your standpoint

could ever be fully restored?

Not in the minds of many,
never and will not be.

Again, I thank your family
and... Yes?

I would just like
to take this opportunity

to thank the committee
for its time,

its question

and the effort that was
put into this investigation

on my behalf.
Thank you.

Thank you.
Adjourned till 9 o'clock.

Everybody was exhausted

and perplexed.

There was a sigh of relief
having gone through

those nine hours.

But you knew it wasn't over.

Do you have anything
you'd like to say...

Senator, I would like to start
by saying

unequivocally, uncategorically,

that I deny each
and every single allegation

against me today

that suggested in any way

that I had conversations
of a sexual nature

or about pornographic material
with Anita Hill

that I ever attempted
to date her,

that I ever had any personal
sexual interest in her

or that I in any way
ever harassed her.

I think that
this today is a travesty.

I think that it is disgusting.

I think that this hearing

should never occur in America.

This is a circus.

It's a national disgrace.

And from my standpoint

as a black American,

as far as I'm concerned

it is a high tech lynching
for uppity blacks

who in any way deign
to think for themselves.

To do for themselves,
to have different ideas.

And it is a message,
that unless you kowtow

to an old order,

this is what will happen to you.

You will be lynched, destroyed,

caricatured
by a committee of the U.S....

U.S. Senate rather than
hung from a tree.

The testimony turned
because Hatch basically had

figured out that the thing
that would really get

Justice Thomas's dander up
was to have him talk about race.

Sort of pushed him
on the subject of race.

You said some of this language

is stereo...

Stereotyped language?

- Senator...
- What does that mean?

I don't understand.

Language throughout
the history of this country

and certainly
throughout my life.

Language about
the sexual prowess of black men.

Language about
the sex organs of black men

and the sizes, etcetera.

That kind of language
has been used about black men

as long as I've been
on the face of this earth.

I hate the term
"the race card."

It's sort of like,

race and racism in America
is something...

It's a playing card.
You just play it.

That unnerves me
to no end, but...

But that's what he did.

You know, I mean...
I mean, look at that.

"High tech lynching?"

Come on, that's absurd.

Right?

That's just absurd
that could work.

That you could make that claim
and everybody could back off.

They didn't challenge him

when he said that.

They didn't say, "Wait a minute,

what about the legal lynching
of the black woman,

who's a victim of harassment

that we heard
from witness upon witness"?

Why didn't they call
all the other witnesses

that were there
and that had testimony?

They didn't want to appear to be

going after a black man
who said I didn't do it.

And for them,
the case was closed.

Think about the imagery of it,
I mean, it...

This is a guy who's been groomed
by the White House

and Republican leadership

to take this job
in some respects.

I mean,
how establishment can you be?

You cannot be
any more established

unless you are the President
of the United States.

And yet you accuse...

You accuse people
of lynching you?

I think metaphorically,

black people
who had in fact been lynched

must have been rolling over
in their graves.

I think it was
strategically brilliant.

It compounded that it wasn't
just a woman and a man,

but it was a black woman
and a black man.

How did they deal
with the race issue

in a way that made
a lot of sense?

And for them, they just said
"Let's stay away from it."

And at that point, the whole...

The whole storyline changed.

And it was no longer...

The issue was no longer
sexual harassment of Anita Hill

so much as it was

the racial victimization
of Clarence Thomas.

As we say out in the Wild West,

this is an impossible thing.

And now I really am getting
stuff over the transom

about Professor Hill.

I've got letters
hanging out my pocket,

I've got faxes,

I've got statements
from her former law professors,

statements from people
that know her,

statements from Tulsa, Oklahoma,

saying,
"Watch out for this woman."

But nobody's got the guts
to say that

because it gets all tangled up
in this sexual harassment crap.

This entire proceeding is ended.

What bothered me
at the end of the hearings

was official Washington said
that the truth was unknowable,

that it was
the quintessential he said,

she said story
and who will ever know?

Like where the truth lies.

And as a journalist,

I feel strongly if you dig into

and behind any story diligently

the weight of evidence

and the preponderance
of information

does at the very least,

help you get
to a more definitive answer.

Joe Biden,
he really is in the end,

responsible for not having
called the witnesses

who could have corroborated
Anita Hill

and I think that there were
a lot of facts here

that a number of people
would rather not think about

and they didn't want
the public to know.

It was in the interest
of both the Republicans

and the Democrats in some ways
conducting those hearing

to bring the curtain down.

Just not have it
be center stage anymore.

Live from New York,
it's Saturday Night!

Professor Hill,

I want to thank you
for your patience here today.

You've shown remarkable courage
throughout your testimony.

It couldn't have been easy
to sit here

for the last seven hours

and talk about
and talk about penis size.

Or large breasted women
having sex with animals.

Or pubic hairs
on soft drink cans.

Then we parted company at the airport

in Washington D.C.
and she went back to Oklahoma

and I went back to Cambridge.

There was a depression,
like what is she gonna do?

I would not be honest

if I didn't say that
the hearings changed my life.

They changed
the trajectory of my life.

They changed
how I'm perceived by the world

and they changed
in some ways the way

I perceived the world.

I'm Ray Hill.

I'd like to introduce
my sister Anita.

She'll be m-making
a brief statement

and taking no questions.

I guess after this welcome
that I received today,

I don't have to tell you
that it's good to be home.

I missed all of you.

You are all absolutely wonderful
and without your support,

I could not have made it

through these last 72 hours.

I just kept
thinking about my friends,

my family and I include
the law school family

in that back here in Oklahoma.

I was raised to do what is right

and can now explain
to my students

first hand
that despite the high cost

which may be involved,

it is worth
having the truth emerged.

What I hope and intend to do
over the next few days

with your help and support

is to get back
to my normal routine.

I cannot wait to get back
in the classroom.

I'm gonna teach my class now,

excuse me and I don't know

what the rest of the day
will be.

I was the first African-American

tenured at the law school.

I was very proud of that.

But I was proud of my work

and I worked
to be a good teacher.

When I was
in that classroom space,

it was wonderful.

Good evening, I...

After the vote,
did you think, "Darn it."

I mean,
were you disappointed that...

Well, I really don't want to
comment on the vote.

I... after the vote, I thought...

I really wasn't focused
on the vote.

I was thinking about this week

and I don't have
any comment on the vote.

Did you discuss it

with any of your law students
today, Professor?

We talked about the process.

We talked about, our government.

We talked about
the hearings a little bit.

And they're all curious

and-and hopefully this will be
a learning experience for them.

Do you have anything
to say to Justice Thomas,

at all?
You want to...

I have no, comment on that,
really.

When I came home
I very much hoped

that I was going to be
able to resume life.

I quickly learned
that I was going to

have to accept a new normal.

I was confronted on the streets,

accused of lying face to face.

Some I didn't have
any way of knowing

when it would happen.

So, either I was gonna be inside

and hiding forever

or I was just gonna go out
and deal with it.

And I chose the latter.

The state politicians,
who were Republicans,

started trying
to get the school to fire me

even though I was tenured.

And then my Dean well,
then, they took off after him.

And they tried to get him fired.

Well, they tried
to close the law school.

Was threatened
with just about everything.

Death,

sexual violence
bomb threats to the school,

bomb threats to my house.

Packages that were vile
or messages that were vile.

I have a file cabinet
full of them.

Women who have experienced
the same thing

who have written
and said now for the first time

they can talk about it.

And that's important.

What I hope is that none of this

will deter others
from coming forward.

This is an important issue

and the dialogue
should not stop here.

For the good of everyone,

it became apparent
that I needed to move on.

This elusive quest for home
existed with my family.

My grandparents
had set up a life in Arkansas,

but there was an incident
that occurred.

My grandfather was threatened.

He was warned
by a friendly white neighbor

that there was a group of men
that wanted to lynch him.

They left everything
and moved to Oklahoma.

Oklahoma was not the deep South.

So there was a perception

that there was much more
racial tolerance.

My siblings started out

in segregated schools.

So, I saw

some of both the segregation
of the past

and the integration that was
going to be the future.

My parents always
made sure that we,

we were aware
that there were things

that we were not allowed
to do freely.

So, it was a...

It kind of an interesting
dance that they did.

To be at once protective,

but also to have
high expectations.

They always said, you know,
you gotta be twice as good

to get half as much.

And they expected us
to be twice as good or more.

In my home there was not
so much talk about

fighting against the system

as fighting to get
as much as you can out of it.

My mother eventually
did have six daughters

and seven sons.

And six of her seven sons
went to the military

before they went to college.

There are a lot of people
encouraging you

when you're the youngest of 13.

And that was great,
that was absolutely fantastic.

Now this was
where our mailbox is.

Ultimately
we got a little bit closer

to the postal service.

And the mailbox was here

so we only had to walk
a quarter of a mile,

or half a mile
to get to our mail.

I was on the verge of
this new chapter in my life,

moving from Oklahoma
to Massachusetts

which seemed pretty much

like a foreign place
at the time.

So these letters
were coming in daily,

there'd be trays of mail
coming in.

And I started reading them,

but I was so emotionally raw
that it was just impossible.

Inside these file cabinets
are letters

that I've received
over the last 19, 20 years.

There're probably
at this point about 25,000.

I guess it's human to say,

well, why did this happen to me?

And they helped me understand

why it was happening

and that it really was something

that was bigger than me.

I think we can...

We can look at one,

I have, for example
this one came in October.

It's dated October 17th, 1991

which was less than a week
after I testified.

And it says, "It's unfortunate

that you had to be subjected
to scurrilous attacks.

You and you alone
made the public cognoscente

of the sexual harassment

that is prevalent
in the workplace.

For this, the women of America

will be eternally grateful.

I and many like me

sincerely hope that you will
have a very bright future

which you richly deserve."

And this is from a man.

I made a deal with myself.

I would go out and I'd talk
about sexual harassment,

but for two years.

At the end of two years,
I mean, we'll fix this.

We'll have it done.

It'll be over and I can go back

to my commercial law
and contracts

which was what I was teaching.

We didn't fix it.

We made some strides.

But there were still

all these misunderstandings
out there.

What would you say sustained you

in the aftermath
of that kind of scrutiny

including some
of the most vicious commentary

that I have ever read?

I don't think
that there has ever been

an attack on a witness

who really had
absolutely nothing to gain.

And someone said

it wasn't as though they were
going to give you the seat

if they didn't give it to him.

People think when
they think of those hearings

they think, "Okay, he had a race

and she had a gender."

Um, but, you know,
it was the combination...

It was really the combination
of my race and gender.

And it changed the dynamics.

I remember one moment
when it was just overwhelming

I just remember
having some sort of meltdown

with my mother.

And then I realized

how I had been able
to get through the hearings.

Because she stopped me

and she said,

"You know who you are

and you know what you can do.

And don't ever
doubt yourself."

Most of us have everything
we need to get through a crisis.

We just have to tap into it.

Ultimately I decided
that I would write the book

about the hearing

and then my life really changed.

And I just said, you know,
I'm going to be a public voice

for gender and equality.

The more I understood
about sexual harassment,

the more I understood

that it was
only part of the problem.

Sexual harassment
is just part of a larger issue

of gender and equality.

And I didn't know that

until I started hearing
from people.

And I am hearing
from a lot of men.

Men relating to it

in terms of their daughters.

These daughters
that they've raised

who now have all these
opportunities to achieve

and advance.

Those daughters being harassed

really is something
that provokes them

to say, you know, enough.

We have to stop this.

The ability to use race
as a divisive tool politically.

And it's just like anything,
after a while,

it loses its impact.

Also, like if you look at
the Obama administration,

he comes in and he's not playing

on people's fears.

He's saying,
"No, we're all different.

Let's unite."

I wanted to develop a course

that took advantage
of the energy

behind the Obama election.

That helped us to think about

how his policies fit into
the social justice models.

This is so fulfilling,
you and the students,

things click.

And then you think,
this is a absolute,

most fulfilling thing in life.

And I always thought of teaching

really as not only
teaching students

about where the law is,

but teaching students
about where it can be

and what it can do.

I've learned an awful lot here

and it's been
a great experience.

And the things
that I'm able to do

with the issues
that I care about,

I think I would never have been

able to do
at the law school in Oklahoma.

The pressure to keep me quiet,

to keep me out of the public eye

would have been so great

that I could not have done

the kinds of things
that I've done.

What I was meant to do
with my life.

But I also knew that
if I am not public

then there will be
a sense of victory

that they will have over me.

The Oklahoma legislature

extends its warmest welcome
and directs me

to give you this citation.

At the ripe old age
of 3 years and 9 months

I was forced
to relinquish my position

of baby in the family
to our speaker

for this evening.

I present to you this evening,

my parents baker's dozen

and my little sister Anita Hill.

Thank you, sis,

and I am just thrilled
to be back in Oklahoma.

What do you think
of Clarence Thomas's

wife's phone call
to you recently?

At first, of course,
when I got the call

I thought it was a prank.

And just a sort of a prank.

I couldn't believe it would be
actually Ginni Thomas

calling my office
on Saturday morning at 7:30.

I did not want the hearing.

I didn't want it
to become a punchline.

But I know

so many of you
are probably thinking about,

um, well, 1991.

It was in fact, 20 years ago.

Twenty years ago.

I can tell you
with absolute certainty

that testifying before
the Senate Judiciary Committee

was not on my bucket list.

But it wasn't my testimony
that caused change.

What allowed us to move forward,

what allowed record
numbers of women

to file complaints
against employers,

what allowed employers to change
their workplace policies,

what allowed the election
of record numbers of women

in the Congress
and in the Senate.

That was you.

That was your voice,
your voices.

Are you married now?

No.

Virtually.

I'm in a very, very good
relationship now

and, it's very... It's good.

I was a partner with,

I think 12 other guys
in a restaurant in Waltham

where Brandeis is.

And I was with
a couple of friends one night

and this woman
walked through the door.

And I said,
"I'd better make sure

that woman gets good service.

Excuse me."

And I walked over and I said,

"If you need anything
I'll be right over here."

I walked over

and, apparently
she didn't eat anything

because I looked up and she was,
like, walking out the door.

So I went to the door
and I said,

"Please co-come back in

and let me buy you
a glass of wine."

And she said, "Yeah, sure."

And I can almost
see her eyes rolling.

And she left,

never to be seen again
until a year later.

Luckily I was in the restaurant.

And she came in,
so I said to the manager,

"I'm going home to get
a great bottle of white wine

I just brought back from France.

Don't let her go anywhere."

Went home, got the bottle,
came back, he put it on ice.

He wrapped the towel around it,
served it to her and her friend.

After dinner, I walked up

and the conversation
became lengthy.

That was 11 years ago,
11, 12 years ago.

What stood out
with Anita's family

is how close they are.

You can see the love there.

Jeanna, yes,

that's my sister
Joanne's daughter.

Eric and Jeanna's brother
Jerry brought her up the aisle.

Jeanna's father is deceased.

She had a picture of him
in her bouquet.

And I think we just all
had a great time.

Just to be with my family and
extended family having fun.

That's a close, loving family.

She's lucky.

I want to personally
thank you, Anita Hill.

Thank you for illuminating

the complexities
of female powerlessness

and for describing how cowed
and coerced a woman can feel

when she is hit upon by a man

who controls
her economic destiny.

Twenty years ago you had
the courage to tell the truth

and do what women
rarely did then.

Make a scene.

But thanks to you, Anita,
we and our daughters

and our granddaughters
now feel empowered

to press the emergency button
and report offensive behavior.

When former congresswoman
Pat Schroeder

first ran for the house,

Pat was asked by one of
the good old boys on the Hill,

"How can you be a congresswoman
and a mother at the same time?"

And Pat famously answered,

"Because I have a brain
and a uterus and I use both."

This Hunter College event,

it was just
this great combination

of new generation women,

as well as women,
like Gloria Steinem.

What does Anita Hill
mean to us today?

I remember everybody was talking

about Anita Hill
and sexual harassment.

I grew up knowing
that it wasn't okay

and that if it did happen to me
and it did,

that it wouldn't be my fault.

And that there was something
that I could do about it.

And if I can give that
to the next generation

when street harassment
happens to them,

that it's not okay.

Then that will be a win.

Our work in the New York City
Public Schools

so that we can protect
all students

from sexual harassment
and gender based violence

is so critical, at this time.

And it wasn't until as an adult

that I really realized
the shoulders

that we're standing on.

What she stood for in 1991
still resonates with all of us.

And that she stood up
not just for herself,

but for my three granddaughters.

Ten, seven and three,

who are growing up in a world
where they know they are

and can be the best possible
that they can be

because Anita Hill stood up
in 1991.

Thank you, Professor Hill,
for opening doors for all of us.

And I wonder
if you could share the moment

that we'd realized
that this was something

beyond a single moment
of testimony.

I had lots of support
from, women.

But John Frank was
an individual who volunteered.

He had been an expert
on the Supreme Court

and the confirmation process.

He came to me in tears,
literally in tears.

And he said, "I know
this is very hard for you.

But you have no idea

of how important this is
to our country."

And I was at that point
just trying to get through

the rest of the day.

Um, it was as though he had
looked into the future

and seen you today.

Having had to deal with so much,

how do you, um, deal with fear?

Not over it, not under it,
but through it?

Thank you. Thank you.

I know that there were times
when I was afraid.

And I knew that there were times

when I'd, you know, stepped out

and I didn't know what was
gonna happen to me next.

But everyday I woke up
knowing that the thing

that caused me to be fearful,

that testimony
was the right thing to do.

Knowing that you have
that truth,

then that's really the way
to deal with it.

You don't have to be alone.

Anita!

You don't have to be alone.

Every year since the hearings,

they have a gathering.

These women are on fire.

They care about each other.

They care about the work
they do.

They are enthusiastic
about gender equality.

Ladies and gentlemen,
please rise

and give Anita Hill
a big round of applause.

People ask the question,
like, what about voice?

How can I have a voice?

I really found my voice in 1991.

And having found it,
I won't lose it again.

And if we celebrate
Martin Luther King,

think about what he showed us
by example.

That dignity and courage
were more effective tools

than bullying

and making positive change
for this country.

I am here today

because so many people before me
struggled for my dignity,

for my freedom and for justice.

And for that
I try to live each day

with a heart full of grace.

So when I say, raise your voice,

I mean, raise your voice
where ever you find it.

You went to
the Anita Hill conference, yeah?

So, who here knows
about Anita Hill?

And what are some things
that we can do,

what have we learned
from workplace harassment.

I can only imagine how difficult

it must have been
with her testifying

and it seemed so scary
and especially how I know,

um, in our society
there's a lot of victim blaming

and a lot of blaming
the person and people,

"What was she wearing
and how was she acting

and did she invite that?"

The parallel is learning

from Anita Hill's strength
to speak out.

People are behaving this way
because no one told them

it was wrong in the first place.

So starting off by telling them

it's wrong
from a younger age then,

we're grooming a new generation
and a new future.

What I am most encouraged by

is that young people are engaged

and able to articulate

what they want
in terms of gender equality.

This is I feel like
especially from what you guys

wrote for what
sexual harassment is.

Maybe you've seen it happen

or have experienced
it yourselves.

So, now we're gonna do
an activity called,

okay or not okay.

I got "Touched your butt
on the subway"

and I really think
that's not okay.

I was like a block away
from my house

and like four guys in a car
were like whistling

and putting their hands
out the window

and it scared me half to death.

Everybody I know,
a lot of people

that are getting harassed
and they just give up

and they don't tell
their parents

because they feel that
they're gonna get in trouble.

They feel that it's their fault

so they cut themselves,
a lot of people.

It happens to more people
than you think it happens to.

And that that's a really
important factor to remember

that you're not the only one
going through with it.

We shouldn't just
stand by each other

and watch each other
be harassed like this.

We need to help each other
and tell people what's going on.

Not enough people
are doing enough to stop it.

So if you can really like

either get
a guidance counselor in on it

or just you try and understand
or talking to them about it

I think would make
a big difference.

If something happens to you
or if someone's harassing you,

that's not your fault.

And I just want everyone
to know that it's not you.

Like you're fabulous,
you're amazing

and you didn't do anything
to attract that.

The world is yours.

As spokespeople for the kind of
change that you want.

And I think the audience
would agree with me

that these young women
are incredible,

wonderful spokespeople.

I was given hope
that I could retire now.

And the next generation
is in good hands.

We really have been
building of what on

an understanding
of what equality means.

Whether we fight
for gender equality

or racial equality
or equal rights,

based on sexual identity.

We have
a much better understanding

of what it takes to get there
in 2011 and 2012

than we had in 1991.

Despite all the inequalities
that exist in the world

I still believe
with all my heart

that we are on the verge

of something monumental
and profound.

And I still want to be a part
of that change.

I hope that life's hardships
have taught you

to face every adversity

with honesty, dignity,
integrity and courage.

And I can attest that
honesty, dignity and courage

is what will be remembered.

Well, it hasn't every day and
every moment of it wonderful.

But in the end, you know,

I can't think of
any other way to do it.

People see me today
and they expect me

to have on that blue dress

'cause that's what
they remember.

Here... Here they are.
How about this?

It's the blue dress.
Yeah.

I have not worn
this blue dress since 1991

when I took it off
at the hearings.

It went to the cleaners

and then it's been
in my closet since.

I didn't really have
that much time

to think about it, honestly.

But there's no formula
for what to wear

before a Senate Judiciary
hearing.

Someone told me that
they were in Ghana

after the hearing

and a tailor was designing
this dress for women there,

that women were
requesting that dress.

So, um, through the magic of CNN

it became a fashion statement.

As well,
maybe as a political statement.

I'm so happy
we're doing this tonight.

Anita Hill, thank you so much
for being here tonight.

Good morning, Anita Hill.

This here's Sojourner Truth.

There's so much racket.

There must be something
outta kilter, Anita Hill.

But what's all this here
talking about?

Just thought
I'd reach out to ask you

across the airwaves
and the years, Anita Hill,

and ask you
to consider something.

Anita Hill,
please don't tell nobody,

no how, nowhere, never,
no way that you're sorry.

Anita Hill, please don't you
apologize, child,

because for one thing,
you told the truth.

Don't you just love
that play on my name?