A powerful ad taken out 27 years ago in the New York Times in support of Anita Hill has gained a second life after being tweeted by one of the signatories - American writer Tayari Jones.
The ad features the signatures of 1600 black women, including the poet Audre Lorde, around the text: "African American Women in Defense of Ourselves."
"27 years ago, 1600 black women took out a full page ad in the NYT to show support for Anita Hill. I was 20 years old. I put $25 toward the price of the ad and signed my name," Jones tweeted.
Anita Hill was an assistant, when she brought forward sexual harassment charges against her boss, Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas in 1991. The ad has taken on a new historical significance in wake of the , which has galvanised women protesters across the country. Dr. Ford, a university professor, has accused conservative Supreme Court judge nominee of assaulting her in high school.
“It’s impossible to miss the parallels between the Kavanaugh confirmation hearing of 2018 and the 1991 confirmation hearing for Justice Clarence Thomas. In 1991, the Senate Judiciary Committee had an opportunity to demonstrate its appreciation for both the seriousness of sexual harassment claims and the need for public confidence in the character of a nominee to the Supreme Court. It failed on both counts,” Hill wrote this week for
Since Jones tweeted the ad, an archivist at the New York Times unlocked the from the paper's archives so the names can be zoomed as a digital interactive.
The ad is a powerful reminder of the power of collective protest and solidarity in supporting women in the lonely and often threatening road of challenging establishment figures and speaking out about sexual violence.
It is also a testament to the sidelined and tireless efforts of black feminist organisers.
The ad is being lauded by women activists online, even inspiring a modern to recreate a similar full newspaper ad in support of Dr. Ford.
"(Hill) testified while cloaked in the support and strength of 1600 black women that refused to let their voices get silenced...Thank you to these wonderful 1600 women for uniting and creating something so powerful before GoFundMe, social media platforms, and 24/7 news cycles prominence," Go Fund Me organiser Ashley Horvat said.
The campaign has raised $23,000 of it's $300,000 target which will be used to buy full page ads in support of Dr.Ford with the names of the donors, in national newspapers across the country, including USA Today.
"I want the ad to list every single person's name that participated in this Gofundme, just as the 1600 black women were 27 years ago," Horvat said.
"#MeToo has revealed the stories of so many women who were alone in their pain. Let's not stand for those who wish to dim these women's lights, diminish their pain and erase their life stories."
