Women Who Testified Against Anita Hill, Part IV

Here is another of the many women who testified against Anita Hill:

[Statement of Ms. J. Brown, former Press Secretary to Senator. John Danforth]

MS. J. BROWN: My name is Janet Brown, Mr. Chairman.

SENATOR HATCH: Would you pull your microphone over, Ms. Brown?

MS. BROWN: Yes, I will.

SENATOR HATCH: I would love to hear you.

MS. J. BROWN: This will be very brief.

I have known Clarence Thomas very well for 12 years. We worked for two years very closely here in the Senate on Senator Danforth's staff. He is a man of the highest principle, honesty, integrity and honor in all of his personal and professional actions.

A number of years ago, I was sexually harassed in the workplace. It was a demeaning, humiliating, sad and revolting experience. There was an intensive and lengthy internal investigation of his case, which is the route that I chose to pursue. Let me assure you that the last thing I would ever have done is follow the man who did this to a new job, call him on the phone or voluntarily share the same air space ever again.

Other than my immediate family, the one person who is the most outraged, compassionate, caring and sensitive to me was Clarence Thomas. He helped me work through the pain and talk through the options. No one who has been through it can talk about sexual harassment dispassionately. No one who takes it seriously would do it.

I don't subscribe to the belief that men, because they are men, don't understand sexual harassment. My husband, my father and my brother understand it. Clarence Thomas understands it. And because he understands it, he wouldn't do it.

See also Women Who Testified Against Anita Hill, Part III, Women Who Testified Against Anita Hill, Part II and Women Who Testified Against Anita Hill, Part I.