The scathing ad 1,600 black women bought to oppose Clarence Thomas

On Nov. 17, 1991, more than 1,600 African American women, outraged by the Senate’s mistreatment of Anita Hill, took out an ad in the New York Times with the headline: “African American Women in Defense of Ourselves.”

The ad, which criticized the appointment of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court, also ran in seven black newspapers across the country. It was a demand to be heard, inspired by three black female scholars — Barbara Ransby, Deborah King and Elsa Barkley Brown, who were appalled by the all-male Senate committee that disrespected Hill and dismissed her sexual harassment allegations against Thomas before confirming him.

“We are particularly outraged by the racist and sexist treatment of Professor Anita Hill, an African American woman who was maligned and castigated for daring to speak publicly of her own experience of sexual abuse,” the ad said. “The malicious defamation of Professor Hill insulted all women of African descent and sent a dangerous message to any woman who might contemplate a sexual harassment complaint.”