It was Oct. 11, 1991, and while some of us were not yet a twinkle in our parents eyes, America reached a critical stage in the discussion of sexual harassment, race, and politics. People all over the country tuned in to see the Thomas-Hill hearings and the nation became divided regarding sex and race. Out of all of this controversy and chaos there arose a powerful woman by the name of Anita Hill. Ms. Anita Hill decided to break the silence about how she was sexually harassed by then, Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. The media ripped her apart and what started out as Anita speaking her truth, ended as Anita Hill being put on trial and her character being questioned.
In 2013, the documentary "ANITA" was created and it took audiences through the notions of her life during the hearing and after the hearing. The documentary starts off with a voicemail from Ginny Thomas, Clarence Thomas's wife asking if Anita would apologize for what she did to Clarence Thomas. Of course, Anita Hill didn't respond but Ginny Thomas asking Anita Hill to apologize or to feel sorry for telling the truth represented what many people wanted to her to feel like.
But Anita Hill refused to feel sorry and she refused to believe that she had done something wrong. The documentary shows her power in how she reclaimed herself but more importantly how she bought the issue of sexual harassment to the forefront. The documentary also showed the other sides of Anita Hill that the media or America failed to see. These sides included the professional side who loved teaching her students, the personal side who loved her parents and family, the humor side she showed when speaking and the mentor side she showed when she talked to young women especially those who were her students at law school.
"ANITA" is a documentary that celebrates Anita and her courage to stand up and speak out against the injustice she was experiencing. The documentary was written by Frieda Mock Lee and in an interview for lareviewofbooks.org she stated that she wanted to tell " a very personal story against the backdrop of the legal, historical and social times. I simply wanted to tell her story, which has never been done on film." The documentary is available on Netflix and on April 16, 2016 HBO will be premiering "Confirmation" starring Kerry Washington, Wendall Pierce and Jennifer Hudson. It is important that both the documentary and film be reviewed to see Anita speak truth to her power. Check out the trailer for the documentary (viewer discretion is advised) and the upcoming HBO movie.
