Volume 1, Issue 3
It all begins with an idea.
If Anita Hill Can Endorse Joe Biden, So Can You.
by Taylor Masamitsu
In a year that seems all-enduring, one reminder that today's dire times are, indeed, moving forward is Anita Hill's endorsement of Joe Biden.
Just last year, Ms. Hill ascribed Brett Kavanaugh's successful confirmation to the Supreme Court to Joe Biden. In 1991, Mr. Biden presided over the senate judiciary committee when Ms. Hill testified that then-nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual assault. Ms. Hill contends that his conduct--allowing colleagues to hurl vicious, life-altering character assassinations at Ms. Hill--"set the stage" to elevate accused sexual offenders to the country's highest court--for life.
However, 2020 has reshaped Ms. Hill's optimism for Mr. Biden's candidacy. In an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger, she made clear that voting for Joe Biden is a moral imperative:
"Notwithstanding all of his limitations in the past and the mistakes that he made in the past, notwithstanding those -- at this point, between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I think Joe Biden is the person who should be elected in November. "It's more about the survivors of gender violence. That's really what it's about."
CNN also reported that, according to Ms. Hill, "it's not just because he's running against Donald Trump," but because Ms. Hill wants to work with Mr. Biden on issues of sexual harassment, gender violence, and gender discrimination.
For nearly 30 years, Ms. Hill has maintained that an apology from Joe Biden is not sufficient. She still wants demonstrable change, which, for Ms. Hill, starts with an honest conversation that addresses violence to which men, women, and non-binary folx endure--and try to survive--because of gender.
As an expert in law and women's issues, Ms. Hill says these conversations are long overdue. However, she believes Joe Biden is the only presidential candidate capable of participating in much-needed change.
During the CNN interview, Ms. Hill vowed to vote for Joe Biden on November 3rd.
Presidential elections have long wielded enormous power, and this one is no different. However, the catalyzation of Anita Hill's self-described "evolution" is quite significant. Her headline-making endorsement of Joe Biden underscores the unpredictability of 2020 and the adage that everything is on the ballot this year. Furthermore, it embodies patriotic citizenry in its purest form: altruism, community, and never putting party partisanship above country.
It is one thing to debate the most efficient way to help the most people--that is the democratic job of government. However, it is fundamentally different to actively villainize entire states and BIPOC communities from conversations regarding marginalizing policies that preclude their successes.
Anita Hill said it clearly, this election "is bigger than her -- and bigger than Biden." It is the last opportunity to salvage the future of American democracy. If we fail to act, the world will get warmer, the seas higher, and this country will never recover.