[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 30, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE CAREER OF PROFESSOR ANITA HILL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 30, 2016

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give homage to the career and 
undertakings of Professor Anita Hill; a woman who has been at the 
center of American political discourse for over 25 years. Professor 
Hill's Senate testimony against Justice Clarence Thomas in 1991 shed 
light on important issues and generated significant legal change for 
sexual harassment protections for women and men in the workplace. For 
these reasons, it is both fitting and appropriate that Professor Hill 
is the 10th recipient of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in 
Social Justice, Diplomacy, and Tolerance; one of U.C. Merced's highest 
honors.
  Professor Hill's early career was one marked by excellence. After 
obtaining her Bachelor's degree with honors in Psychology from Oklahoma 
State University, she moved on to receive her Juris Doctor degree from 
Yale in 1980. By 1983, Professor Hill had already served in major roles 
under the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights and the 
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). By 1986, she had 
executed faculty positions at Oral Roberts University and became the 
first tenured African American Professor at the University of Oklahoma.
  Professor Hill rose to national prominence after her Senate hearing 
regarding the misconduct of Justice Clarence Thomas during their time 
working together at the Department of Education and the EEOC. Professor 
Hill's statements facilitated a nationwide discussion about the common 
experiences of women in the work place, which has empowered countless 
women to speak out against the injustices they have faced throughout 
the course of their careers. The subsequent tripling of the amount of 
women in the Senate, and the 60 percent increase in the number of 
female Representatives in the House that followed in the next election 
cycle are often attributed to the Senate hearings.
  Professor Hill has become one of the most recognizable national 
voices on issues of race and gender equality. Professor Hill has been 
featured on numerous high profile television shows such as 60 Minutes, 
Meet the Press, and more recently was depicted by Kerry Washington in 
an HBO movie about her life and the hardships she endured during the 
Senate hearings. She has published a number of academic articles with 
profound content, and has written two books which have won national 
acclaim. In 2015, Professor Hill was appointed to serve as a Private 
University Professor of Social Policy, Law, and Women's Studies at 
Brandeis University.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Professor 
Anita Hill and the legacy she established in our country. The United 
States has seen a great deal of strife and conflict, but figures like 
Professor Hill ingrain an unshakable feeling of strength and hope for 
the people of this nation. As Professor Hill continues to advocate for 
noble causes, we hope that she can remain a stalwart figure in 
discourse on social justice and equality.

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