Anita Hill asked to apologize for being sexually harassed. . .WTF?

Nearly two decades ago, an accusation of sexual harassment was big news. But it didn’t derail anyone’s career, just ask Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. After all, it was his confirmation hearing that brought sexual harassment into our living rooms everyday. And the testimony of Professor Anita Hill was more compelling than the Young and The Restless.

But, Thomas was confirmed as a justice, Hill was believed by some, thought of as a liar by other. She wrote a book, she moved on. Thomas sits on the bench, like a bump on a log, making decisions that don’t matter and erode the rights of women (which shows me that Anita Hill was telling the truth). And 20 years have passed. Hill is a professor at Brandies University and we haven’t heard from her since her book was released in the 1990s.

And then Virginia Thomas picked up the phone. Ginni, as she called herself in the voice mail she left Hill, is the wife of Clarence Thomas. She wants Hill to apologize to her husband. Really? Really?

“I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. So give it some thought and certainly pray about this and come to understand why you did what you did. OK, have a good day,” Thomas said.

Maybe “Ginni” ought to get on the phone to rape victims next and ask then to apologize to the brute who raped them. Better yet, she should take a job with the Catholic Church and call all of the victims of the priests who touched them and demand an apology to the priests.

Hill had the best response to Virgina Thomas’s foolishness:

In her statement, Hill said, “I certainly thought the call was inappropriate.”

I’m going to step out on a limb here and translate that: “*itch Please.”

And Hill isn’t going to apologize and she should not. Virgina Thomas should apologize for being so stupid and insensitive.

Much like he his when it’s time to make a ruling from the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas is totally silent on the issue.

Now there is an online petition seeking an apology to Hill from Clarence Thomas. So far, more than 8,000 people have signed it.

Virginia Thomas is asking the wrong person to apologize. Demand Clarence Thomas apologize to Anita Hill.

Virginia Thomas is a well known Tea Party activist who founded a shadowy right-wing organization in the wake of Citizens United.⁴ Her agenda in approaching Anita Hill with her outrageous request is unclear. But it’s yet another example of brazen attempts by Tea Party adherents to rewrite history and claim victimhood for the powerful even as they launch attack after attack on minority groups — be they women, gays, African Americans, or immigrants.

We shouldn’t ignore this bizarre incident. We should accept Virginia Thomas’ challenge and defend history as we know it.

This article appears in Oct 19-25, 2010.