Lecture, book to focus on equality, women's studies
Anita Hill, whose sexual harassment allegations against Clarence Thomas almost derailed his 1991 Supreme Court nomination and redefined much of how America treats sexual harassment, will speak at USC next month to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her congressional testimony.
Hill, now a law professor at Brandeis University, will deliver the Adrenée Glover Freeman Lecture in African American Women's Studies Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. inside the Law School Auditorium. She will be paid $3,000 plus travel expenses for the lecture titled "Finding Home: In Search of a 21st Century Vision of Equality." It is based on her upcoming book "Reimaging Equality: Stories of Gender, Race and Finding Home," set for release in October.
"She brought the issue of sexual harassment to the forefront of the nation's thought, and her actions really changed the way we think about things," said Drucilla Barker, director of the women's and gender studies program at USC. "Things that were permissible are no longer permissible, and that's fantastic."
Hill will also attend a local "I Believe in Anita Hill" celebration at 701 Whaley St. and deliver the keynote address at a conference hosted by the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association. Barker said the party has been ongoing for 20 years and has transformed from a small gathering of Columbia women to a larger gathering now hosted at 701 Whaley St.
"She doesn't do a lot of public speaking for obvious reasons," Barker said. "I believe I have to thank the Anita Hill party."
Barker said Hill "wouldn't talk so much about what happened to her a long time ago" in this year's lecture.
Her name was in the nation's forefront as she accused now Justice Clarence Thomas of making sexually inappropriate comments in sometimes graphic testimony on Capitol Hill.
Thomas was eventually confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 52-48 vote.
Instead, she'll focus on finding a 21st-century version of equality to remedy a world that Barker says is "still marked by racism and sexism."
"If this lecture contributes to equality of women and equality of African-Americans, we've done a great thing," Barker said.