When I think of what has happened in a larger sense, beyond myself, then I would not change anything.- Anita Hill
What we really need to be understanding is that all of these things matter and they all stem from the fact that certain people live with power and authority and they want to maintain it.
What I wanted was for everyone listening to understand that these things mattered - not necessarily for me, but in this particular forum they mattered in terms of whether of not we were getting a person who should sit on the Supreme Court.
Well, of course it was a very trying time for me, and fortunately I had a lot of people who were supportive. A lot of people who were writing and calling and saying they were praying for me. Some people sent me Scripture, and that helped.
We have a history of gender and racial bias on our court that continues to undermine the system. Excluding individuals based on race is antagonistic to the pursuit of justice.
The real problem is that the way that power is given out in our society pits us against each other.
The experience of testifying and the aftermath have changed my life.
Testifying has helped me understand that one individual's behavior and actions make a difference. That my actions are important to people other than myself.
Telling the world is the most difficult experience of my life, but it is very close to having to live through the experience that occasion this meeting.
One of the things I was taught in law school is that I'd never be able to think the same again - that being a lawyer is something that is part of who I am as an individual now.
My parents are older, and they lead a somewhat sheltered life. It was difficult to talk with them about things that were embarrassing to me, and that I had never spoken to them about.
It would have been more comfortable to remain silent.
In July of 1983, I left Washington, DC area and have had minimal contact with Judge Clarence Thomas since.
If you think about the way the hearings were structured, the hearings were really about Thomas' race and my gender.
I am not sure I can say there is a clean line between me as an individual and me as a lawyer.
