Because of Anita

Latest Episodes:

The Movement Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

The 1991 Thomas hearings felt like a catalyst for change: Harassment reports spiked. “The Year of the Woman” brought women to Congress. And...then what happened? In our final episode, hosts Dr. Salamishah Tillet and Cindi Leive hold our courts, newsrooms and culture up to the light to see how much progress we’ve actually made on issues like harassment and assault. These are stories that’ll change how you think: Tarana Burke, ‘me.too’ founder, discusses what we owe survivors; legal advocate Fatima Goss Graves assesses some startling holes in the law; and journalist Irin Carmon, who reported on Charlie Rose’s sexual abuse, asks why we still value men’s reputations more than women’s real lives.

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The Conversation: Prof. Anita Hill and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford Oct 11, 2021

Show notes

In 2018, Christine Blasey Ford stood before the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify in the Supreme Court nomination hearings of Brett Kavanaugh. Among the millions of people watching was perhaps the only person who could really relate: Professor Anita Hill, who’d appeared before the committee 27 years before. In this landmark episode, Professor Hill and Dr. Ford sit down for their first-ever public conversation—about their shared experiences, their emotions, their lives beyond the hearing rooms, and their hopes for the future. It’s a wide-ranging, intimate conversation between two women who are uniquely positioned to tell us what’s changed since 1991, and what has not.

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The Aftermath Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

It’s November 1991. Clarence Thomas has been confirmed, but the domino effect of his hearings has only begun—especially for many Black women.

In this episode, we hear three very personal stories of what happened next: Professor Barbara Ransby rallied Black women in a historic show of visible support that still reverberates today. Carol Moseley Braun ran for office—and won, becoming the first Black woman in the Senate. And Drew Dixon, a young record producer grappling with sexual abuse in her own profession, had to make difficult decisions with the long shadow of the hearings looming over her. “Anita Hill was with me every minute,” she says.

Thanks to our presenting sponsor Audible. Download a free trial at http://audible.com/anita

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The Testimony Oct 04, 2021

Show notes

On October 11th, 1991, Oklahoma law professor Anita Hill calmly told the Senate Judiciary Committee that her former boss, Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, had sexually harassed her years earlier. Thirty years later, we’re still talking about that fateful weekend—and understanding its impact. In our opening episode, hosts Dr. Salamishah Tillet and Cindi Leive walk you through the anger, the intrigue and the surprises, with fresh perspective from lawyer Kimberlé Crenshaw, who served on Hill’s legal team; journalist Jane Mayer, who helped expose the hearings’ flaws; and actor Kerry Washington, who later immersed herself in the hearings for a role as Anita Hill. Thanks to our presenting sponsor Audible. Download a free trial at audible.com/anita.

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COMING SOON: BECAUSE OF ANITA Sep 24, 2021

Show notes

In 1991, Anita Hill told the world that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had sexually harassed her. Thirty years later, we’re still feeling the ripple effects of that testimony—in our politics and our lives. This four-part podcast explores the enduring impact of that moment, with new insights and on-the-ground stories from guests like Tarana Burke, Kerry Washington and Professor Hill herself, in her first-ever public conversation with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified 27 years after her.

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