Anita Hill

Anita Faye Hill is an American lawyer, academic and author who became a prominent national figure in 1991 when she testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her during the years she worked as his legal adviser. Her testimony marked a defining moment in public discussions of workplace harassment, gender discrimination and the position of women within professional and political institutions. Hill has since built a distinguished academic career and remains an influential voice in debates concerning equality and social justice.

Early Life and Education

Hill was born on 30 July 1956 in Lone Tree, Oklahoma, the youngest of thirteen children in a farming household. Her family lineage traces back to Arkansas, where her maternal grandfather and great-grandparents had been born into slavery. Raised in the Baptist tradition, she attended Morris High School, graduating as valedictorian in 1973.
She continued her education at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1977. Hill then entered Yale Law School, completing her Juris Doctor in 1980. Her academic success at Yale positioned her for a career in public service and legal practice at the national level.

Early Legal Career

Following her admission to the District of Columbia Bar in 1980, Hill joined the Washington, D.C., law firm Wald Harkrader & Ross as an associate. In 1981 she began working at the U.S. Department of Education as an attorney-adviser to Clarence Thomas, who served as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. When Thomas became chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 1982, Hill moved with him and served as his assistant until 1983.
She transitioned that year to academia, becoming an assistant professor at the O. W. Coburn School of Law at Oral Roberts University, where she taught for three years. In 1986 she joined the University of Oklahoma College of Law, teaching commercial law and contracts. By 1989 she had become the first African American to receive tenure at the institution. Despite her achievements, she left in 1996 amid continued public controversy stemming from her 1991 testimony. Hill later joined Brandeis University, first as a visiting scholar in 1998 and subsequently as a university professor in 2015.

1991 Senate Testimony and Allegations Against Clarence Thomas

In 1991 President George H. W. Bush nominated Clarence Thomas, then a federal appellate judge, to the United States Supreme Court. His confirmation initially appeared likely, but the process shifted dramatically when a confidential interview Hill had given to federal investigators was leaked to the press. Senate hearings were reopened, and Hill was called to testify publicly.
In televised testimony on 11 October 1991, Hill stated that Thomas had subjected her to repeated sexual advances and explicit remarks during her service at both the Department of Education and the EEOC. She recounted unsolicited invitations, discussions of pornography and sexual acts, and graphic references to his own anatomy. One of the most widely quoted incidents involved Thomas allegedly asking, in reference to a drink on his desk, “Who has put pubic hair on my Coke?”
Hill explained that she had accepted the EEOC position despite earlier troubles because she hoped to continue building a career in civil rights enforcement. She also stated that although she later recognised misgivings about this decision, she initially believed the improper conduct had ceased.
Thomas responded with a forceful denial, asserting that he was the target of what he described as a “high-tech lynching” intended to derail the appointment of a conservative Black nominee. Four women who were prepared to support Hill’s credibility were not called to testify owing to procedural negotiations within the committee.
Hill agreed to a polygraph test, which supported her account, although polygraph evidence carries no legal weight. Thomas did not take a polygraph. After extensive debate, the Senate confirmed Thomas by a vote of 52–48, the narrowest margin for a Supreme Court justice in the twentieth century to that point.

Public Reaction and Continuing Debate

Hill’s testimony generated intense national discussion and remains one of the most scrutinised episodes in modern judicial history. Supporters praised her courage and saw her account as consistent with experiences of many women in hierarchical workplaces. Critics questioned the delay in reporting and highlighted Hill’s continued professional contact with Thomas after leaving the EEOC.
The debate persisted well beyond the hearings. Publications in the 1990s, including David Brock’s The Real Anita Hill, criticised her, although Brock later recanted and apologised. Another investigation by journalists Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson concluded that Thomas had been untruthful during the confirmation process, though some reviewers argued that absolute conclusions remained elusive.
The controversy resurfaced in the 2000s through Thomas’s autobiography My Grandfather’s Son, in which he sharply criticised Hill. Hill, in turn, publicly rejected his characterisations, defending her actions and reiterating her account.

Academic Career and Influence

Despite ongoing public scrutiny, Hill cultivated a respected academic career. At Brandeis University she became a leading scholar of social policy, gender studies and law, focusing particularly on sexual harassment, discrimination and systems of power. Her expertise and public experience positioned her as a prominent commentator on workplace inequality and cultural change.
Hill has authored books, delivered lectures internationally and contributed to major initiatives addressing gender violence and institutional reform. Her testimony in 1991 is widely regarded as a turning point in national awareness of sexual harassment, contributing to enhanced workplace policies, increased reporting and the broader development of the women’s rights movement in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.