Prior to Hill coming forward, Thomas was already the target of many feminist groups for conservative views on abortion and women’s rights. Thomas saw his case against Hill as a political war as well as an attempt to bring down a Black man of power.
Hill was vilified by the Senate and the media for coming forward. Her story was one of the first examples of victim shaming as the media and the Senate attempted to tear Hill to shreds. Her story changed politics and the workplace for women forever.
After testifying, Hill received hundreds of letters from women telling their stories of being sexually harassed and belittled by men on the job, and how she inspired them to speak up.
In 1992, the year after Hill testified, the number of women reporting sexual harassment in the workplace nearly doubled. The number of women applying for political jobs spiked to its highest national average. Magazines called it “The Year of The Woman”, as women now filled the seats of Congress, citing Hill as their inspiration.
HBO premiered the TV movie on the scandal last night. In case you missed it, CLICK HERE.