Impact The Hill-Thomas hearings affected the po-
litical landscape of the 1990’s because it was the first
time that confounding issues of race and gender
were concurrently exposed on a national scale.
Subsequent Events In 2007, Clarence Thomas’s
autobiography, My Grandfather’s Son, once again
highlighted his dealings with Anita Hill. She re-
sponded to his declarations that she was a liar by stat-
ing inThe New York Timeson October 2, 2007, that his
claims were “unsubstantiated representations and
outright smears” and that his accounts were domi-
nated by “blatant inconsistencies.”
Further Reading
Garment, Suzanne.Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in
American Politics—Afterword, On Anita Hill and
Clarence Thomas.New York: Times Books, 1992.
Hill, Anita.Speaking Truth to Power. New York: Dou-
bleday, 1997.
Morrison, Toni, ed.Race-ing Justice, En-Gendering
Power: Essays on Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas, and the
Construction of Social Reality.New York: Pantheon
Books, 1992.
U.S. Congress. Senate. Committee on the Judiciary.
The Complete Transcripts of the Clarence Thomas-
Anita Hill Hearings. Chicago: Academy Chicago,
1994.
Katherine M. HelmSee also African Americans; Civil Rights Act
of 1991; Elections in the United States, 1992; Morri-
son, Toni; Race relations; Supreme Court decisions;
Thomas, Clarence; Women in the workforce; Wom-
en’s rights; Year of the Woman.The Nineties in America Hill, Anita 417
At the evening session of the hearing of the Senate Judiciar y Committee on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the
U.S. Supreme Court on October 11, 1991, Thomas lashed out after testimony was presented against him by Anita
Hill, a former employee: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 per-
sonal sexual interest in her, or that I in any way ever harassed her.
A second, and I think more important point, I think that this today is a travesty. I think that it is dis-
gusting. I think that this hearing should never occur in America. This is a case in which this sleaze, this
dirt, was searched for by staffers of members of this committee, was then leaked to the media, and this
committee and this body validated it and displayed it at prime time over our entire nation. How would
any member on this committee, any person in this room, or any person in this country, would like sleaze
said about him or her in this fashion? Or this dirt dredged up and this gossip and these lies displayed in
this manner? How would any person like it?
The Supreme Court is not worth it. No job is worth it. I’m not here for that. I’m here for my name, my
family, my life and my integrity. I think something is dreadfully wrong with this country when any per-
son, any person in this free country would be subjected to this.
This is not a closed room. There was an FBI investigation. This is not an opportunity to talk about dif-
ficult matters privately or in a closed environment. 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. Senate rather than hung from a tree.Judge Thomas Responds