Why We Must Never Forget Anita Hill
With each of the (many) Democratic candidates offering something new to the stage, there seems to be one who remains at the forefront of familiarity—Joe Biden.
Just the name of the former vice president seems to catalyze a spectrum of opinion to the general public. But, among Black voters, Biden ranks at the top of the polls. Why might this be? Some suggest that the promising support is due to factors such as “perception of electability.” The real fuel behind this fire? Name recognition.
There is no doubt that Biden possesses built-in advantages for being immediately associated with the first African American president. It seems that black Americans will admittedly—and rightfully so—never forget the monumental campaign of 2008. The reality is, when most hear “Biden” they envision none other than Barack Obama. But what if we were to envision Hill?
Anita Hill, the distinguished law professor from the University of Oklahoma, quickly became a household name in 1991 when she agreed to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about her sexual harassment allegations against then Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. It’s nearly impossible to summarize all the complexities and intersections of events into one article—and I don’t really wish to— but in case you aren’t already aware, one article from New York Magazine gets at the gist of it:
“In front of the all-male, all-white Senate Judiciary Committee, Hill claimed that Thomas sexually harassed her in the early ’80s when they worked together at the Education Department and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She said he repeatedly tried to get her to go on dates with him and made many inappropriate sexual remarks.”
Biden, as chairman of the committee, arguably had the most control over how things went during the senate hearings. As The Washington Post puts it, Hill “endured withering, skeptical questioning — including from Biden, who Hill and her defenders still blame for setting an accusing, skeptical tone and losing control not just of the seating arrangements.” Fast forward to 2019—the era of #MeToo and a new women’s movement—and we’re still left with a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. Though Biden has technically apologized to Hill, what was said cannot compare to the sheer amounts of adversity that she faced in this seemingly eternal period of her life. As New York Magazine says, “Even in recent months, Biden downplayed his role in what happened to her.”
Joe Biden at the Hill hearings in 1991
Perhaps it’s unfair to compare the past senator with the present potential nominee. After all, according to an article by Politico, his recent 90 minute discussion with an assembly of Black reporters—where he discussed topics ranging from potential running mates to his opinions on the current president—sounds promising. But as women look to vote—as Black women look to vote—we must never forget the words of Anita Hill, who speaks for us all when it comes to living in the same reality of sexual harassment and misogyny as that of 1991. The reality of constantly being doubted by the majority. The reality of only being relevant when it’s to further the agenda. The reality of having life uprooted and turned upside down because of the societal limitations and pressures purposefully packaged to fit into the box of black womanhood.
Let me be clear: it is true that people can change. It is true that ideologies people once claimed can be altered and evolved as the world progresses and world views change. Yet in that same breath, the name “Biden,” though related to, does not equate to “Obama.” Maybe it is true that Biden is the “most electable.” Maybe it is true that he holds the key in defeating Donald Trump. But let us not forget the fight that we have been fighting for centuries. Let us not forget the everyday struggles of black women everywhere. Let us not forget her. It is Anita Hill’s words that continue to ring in the back of our minds as we make a choice about who will lead us in the future: “I hold him responsible certainly for what happened in 1991, and to the extent that many of the same things that happened in 1991 followed in 2018, there is a connection. There is clearly a connection.”
