The White House Project

Jenny Choi, Intern          

A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to meet Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court. Being the con-law aficionado that I am, I was elated by the opportunity to finally meet and talk with the person that I had only seen in pictures and read about in my textbook. One hundred students filled one of the many portrait-filled sitting rooms of the Court and the excitement was the same all around: When he strolled into the room, some were standing on tiptoes and others at the edges were eagerly stretching out the tips of their fingers for a handshake. The figures in the portraits (Justice Marshall, etc) and the subdued squeals of excitement all reflected the importance of the moment. It was one of the big meetings of the entire week, second only to the meeting with President Obama for most students.

When Justice Thomas finished talking and called for a Q&A, all hands immediately went up. Of course, all of them were about landmark cases, his beliefs, and the inner-workings of the Court. I had the opportunity to ask a little about the Brown case. But none mentioned Anita Hill. It would not have been of politesse to ask about that in such a setting, but my peers were asking questions of the same level of discomfort on other topics, such as the bribery scandal that was an issue at the time.

Even on the bus, no one mentioned Hill. For some, the joy of meeting Justice Thomas had not worn off yet. Some students equated the delight to the happy anticipation for the meeting with President Obama. Others fiercely debated over the issues that he talked about, and I probably also belonged to one of these groups at the time. But back at the hotel, she finally came to my mind. What happened? How could no one remember, not even mention it amongst themselves?

There’s an age factor. We were probably not old enough back then to have cared about politics, but that doesn’t mean that we hadn’t learned about it or didn’t know about it. We were kids that knew U.S. history and politics inside out.

But more accurately—and more simply—I think it’s that we forgot. We subconsciously chose what we wanted to remember. The memory of the Hill hearings have faded away, and the spotlight on the issue has darkened.

In retrospect, I’m surprised that young women (including myself), who comprised nearly half the entire seminar, did not mention anything about Hill. We are self-declared feminists and women leaders. For us, it should not have been a memory that would have been overly painful to dig up. People with causes like having a record of injustices from which to argue their points. But even us women forgot.

Through this experience, I learned how the gradual emergence of a younger generation and our short-term memories make us forgetful of the past. I am certainly not saying that if the students on that trip had brought it up or remembered it sometime during the trip, we would have been able to do anything about it. But what I am saying is that we, as a society, tend to let things slip by inconspicuously because of the forgetfulness factor, and for the younger population, also because of the age factor.

The upcoming conference, officially called “Sex, Power and Speaking Truth: Anita Hill 20 Years Later” and co-sponsored by The White House Project, serves as an effort in our society to fight against these factors. The conference, aside from refreshing people’s memories of the scandal, will also serve as an excellent reminder about what we’re forgetting and what we’re taking for granted in terms of race, class, and gender relations today. It’s probably unhealthy to try to hold onto all memories, but memories of grave societal problems that have yet to be resolved should not be abandoned. For more information on the conference and a guide to registering, visit www.anitahill20.org.