Speaking Truth to Power - Anita Hill [164]
Though he never complained to me, Eric was beginning to receive accusatory questions about me from his friends and coworkers. He was asked to explain a variety of matters well beyond his nineteen years of knowledge and experience: “Why did she wait until the last minute to bring it up?” “What is sexual harassment, anyway?” Moreover, the experience with the media had left him completely shaken. He described the experience in Washington as “mind-boggling” and “frustrating.” Reporters cared more about getting a story than anything. It was clear that “they had no respect for us. They were knocking us all about” and did “whatever it took to get closer to you.” That experience changed Eric’s dream of being a journalist. “The value of the truth has been replaced by the value of sensationalism,” he told me. “Maybe you could make a difference,” I tried to persuade him, though unconvinced myself.
I recall how proud he was to be reading his first book at age five and the subsequent years in which he would read in bed with a flashlight after the lights were out and all of the standardized test scores which showed his language skills well above average. I understand the value of the academic setting, the role it plays in protecting young minds from experiencing the harshness of their real-world careers before they are able to understand them. Like me, Eric saw the ugly side of a professional life before he could put it into perspective. Like me, Eric changed the course of his career in response.
Sullivan’s campaign escalated with the announcement of efforts to raise money for an endowed professorship in my name for the study of women in the workplace. Gloria Segal, a state representative from Minnesota, conceived of the idea of the Anita Faye Hill Professorship. We had first met on November 15, 1991, in Coronado, California, following the presentation to her and her colleagues at the Hotel Del Coronado. Segal appeared to me to be an individual deeply touched by the hearing, but I quickly got the idea that this was not the first issue involving women in which she had taken personal action. That evening, in addition to seeing the caring side of the middle-aged politician, I saw a savvy organizer who knew what it took to make such a project happen. She told me of her idea and how important she felt it would be to follow up the events of October with research about the problem of sexual harassment and other workplace issues. The professorship would be the first of its kind in the country. In essence it would act as a research supplement to a professor committed to doing research aimed at the elimination of workplace discrimination.
The research professorship at Oklahoma could accomplish this, she reasoned, but she questioned, if I were to be awarded the professorship, what might happen if I left the University of Oklahoma. The funding would remain in Oklahoma, I advised her. After discussing the matter, my only concern was that I not have to do fund-raising for the professorship. Segal assured me that she would organize and conduct the fund-raising. I left her hotel room certain of the sincerity of her intentions but less certain that anything would ever come of it. Her enthusiasm was contagious, but I was skeptical, not wanting to expect too much—to be disappointed.
Segal persisted, contacting the University of Oklahoma development office and getting approval for official recognition of the fund. All of the paperwork was in order,