Review: I Still Believe Anita Hill by Amy Richards

Title: I Still Believe Anita Hill
Author:Amy Richards
Publisher: The Feminist Press
Publication Date: December 11, 2012 (first published January 1st 2012)
Edition: Paperback
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Culture
• Essays
• Feminism
• Women's Issues

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

In October, 1991, Professor Anita Hill testified at the confirmation hearings for then Judge Clarence Thomas, nominated by President George H. W. Bush, to serve as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. In October 2011, Hunter College hosted a conference and remembrance of Professor Hill's courage in confronting sexual harassment and exploitation in the workplace. "I Still Believe Anita Hill" came about as a result of that gathering. The book features essays and articles presented at this gathering.

I found this book both heartbreaking and inspiring. Like many of us, I was glued to the live TV coverage of the hearings, and I believed Anita Hill. I was appalled by the treatment she received by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I thought, we, as a nation, were better than that. But, I was also inspired by Professor Hill's example and courage, and by the fact that workplace harassment was finally getting center stage attention. I believed then that some good would come out of the situation even though Clarence Thomas was ultimately confirmed.

If you want to learn more, see how far we've come, and see how far we have yet to go, this book will help you do that. It may also inspire you and give you hope that we do have women and men continually striving for racial and gender equality despite the contentious times in which we currently find our country. Reading this book has spurred me on to read Professor Hill's books.