Anita Hill- the Film highlights the plights of women in workplaces. The backdrop of the film is from a real-life experience from the Professor of law. While working in the U.S. Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), she made a testimony against her boss on issues of sexual harassment.
Despite the allegations, Clarence Thomas (the boss) was appointed as the Supreme Court judge. However, her outcry had a significant milestone in gender and sexual harassment policies.
Some of the notable facts about this Film
- Anita remained a hero
Anita’s persistent cry for justice against her boss came in handy even after many years as much as the first attempt never bore fruit. It is her story that made it possible to have a sexual harassment policy in the Senate.
Otherwise, the vice could continue. Many women and men in the equal measure could have died in silence as if the act was just a norm.
Anita’s heroism is seen in the fact that she never feared her boss despite being in the high office. Who can imagine standing in the dock against her boss? The worse of it all, it’s on issues of sexual harassment.
The initial stages of the case portrayed Anita as the betrayer. Some of the members of the Senate declared Clarance Thomas as a hero. This was a short term title. After a close look at the fine details of the whole issue, it now made sense that Anita had a point that needs to be considered for the sanity of future generations- women in specific.
- Sexual harassment policy was initiated and implemented
Anita’s televised testimony came as an eye-opener to most women going through the same in the workplace. Women who looked at it as a norm and never thought of moving to court to file suits now had the courage.
The civil rights lawyers now had a severe task to accomplish; push for a law on sexual harassment offenses. More research came up, and it was open that several women were suffering in silence. It was now evident that they had to be a law to cushion the women against the act.
Similarly, men involved in such hilarious acts now had to be cautious about the vice, for they didn’t know what awaits them. This was a milestone in gender equality. What was peculiar about Anita’s case was that the allegation was heard in an all-men jury. Who will rule against their fellow man?
- There is power in speech
Do you think the vice could have continued if Anita never came out and speak against it? Of course, yes. As much as there was a lot of controversy about Anita’s conduct about her boss.
Most people felt that there was a better way of dealing with it. They felt that she went overboard with the issue- taking your boss to court?
Look at it from a case study on weight loss. When you go public about someone’s weight, it can never be taken lightly. Instead, there are better ways of approaching it.
She was probably introducing a well-rounded product to encourage one to lose a pound without necessarily mentioning the weight issue. This is the route the public felt Anita should have used. Maybe call her supervisors to a round table and speak about it rather than making it public without consultation.
- Gender issues need a strong and resilient personality
Ask yourself, how many women have the guts and courage to face their bosses in a jury? The best people one does is to leave the job and wait to hear from the next victim. Anita Hill took it upon her to use the chance to create awareness of the sexual acts in workplaces and have a platform for a change.
It is an act that needs a strong and resilient personality. It is never a smooth ride. There are so many obstacles and discrimination that come with such acts of courage- job loss, stigma, and discrimination, to mention but a few.
Who has ever won a gender issue without controversy? The cultural and religious belief that men “have it all” can only be stopped by such kind of personality. Not that everything men do is wrong, no. Some of them are used to undermine women as they give themselves the right political and career positions despite women having better qualifications.
- Racism exists even in high offices
The war between natives and foreigners existed since time immemorial. Anita lost the battle at the initial stages not because she had no point in her allegations, but it had got to do more with the fact that she is a black American. I imagine if it was a white woman in Anita’s shoes, I am sure that the case could have taken a different route.
Wait a minute, what if the boss was a Black American, and Anita was an American? You can imagine if this happens to Anita in a constitutional office mandated to protect and uphold the constitution, the question now is, what of the other junior offices without someone to speak out on their behalf?
There are many lessons one can learn from this Film. Apart from just the entertainment, other thematic areas it focuses on include
- Gender equality
- Racism
- Women power
- Sexual harassment
- Constitutional law on gender parity
- The positive impact of women education
Anita Hill- the Film is one movie that you can sit the whole day and watch without getting bored. Even if you have viewed it, its repeat still gives you more insights into the themes.