Wife of Clarence Thomas Calls Anita Hill to Demand Apology For Her Husband Being A Jerk 19 Years Late
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 11:00AM 
Shot of Anita Hill from Harper's Bazaar in 1997Apparently, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, got up early one Saturday morning, found the office phone number of Anita Hill, a woman who accused her husband of sexual harassment when she was his aide, and decided to give her a little "peacemaking" call. The kind of call where you demand an apology for her saying those awful things about your husband. Gross things like the time he asked about that pubic hair on that Coke and whatnot. Or when he gave a description of Long Dong Silver. Or when he kept coming on to Anita Hill when she was not interested. And how that all came out during his confirmation hearings nearly 20 years ago. Hearings that were ugly and contentious, but did not stop his nomination to the highest court in the land.
But, you know? It's been a while since anyone talked about your husband being a pervert, so let's get that back in the news, right Ginni!
You'd think considering how messed up those hearings were all parties would just want to never speak of this again, and for the most part, aside from a few books written between the three of them, everyone's said that nobody's apologizing and everyone has stayed in their respective corners. This is over, right? No need to bring this up again, correct? Cue Ginni, calling for apologizes and prayers at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday.
From The New York Times:
In a voice mail message left at 7:31 a.m. on Oct. 9, a Saturday, Virginia Thomas asked her husband’s former aide-turned-adversary to make amends. Ms. Hill played the recording, from her voice mail at Brandeis University, for The New York Times.
“Good morning Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas,” it said. “I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband.”
Ms. Thomas went on: “So give it some thought. And certainly pray about this and hope that one day you will help us understand why you did what you did. O.K., have a good day.”
Ms. Hill, in an interview, said she had kept the message for nearly a week trying to decide whether the caller really was Ms. Thomas or a prankster. Unsure, she said, she decided to turn it over to the Brandeis campus police with a request to convey it the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“I thought it was certainly inappropriate,” Ms. Hill said. “It came in at 7:30 a.m. on my office phone from somebody I didn’t know, and she is asking for an apology. It was not invited. There was no background for it.”
Ummm ...
If there were alcohol involved this would perhaps make more sense. But even with alcohol -- what? You and Clarence are still sitting around talking about Anita Hill like it happened yesterday? What brought this up? Do you just reinact the hearings once a week to get yourselves all riled up all over again? Does he give the high tech lynching speech before blessing dinner? You're all still mad even though everything turned out exactly how you wanted it in the first place and no one, almost NO ONE, brings it up anymore? (People tend to focus on him being kind of a jerk and silent on the court.)
Last time I checked he's still a Supreme Court Justice. Hill is a professor at Brandeis. Everyone moved on. Moving on is a form of conflict resolution. And since it's highly unlikely that Clarence is going to have a dry drunk epiphany and apologize for being horrid when he was her boss, it's equally unlikely Anita Hill is going to apologize when she has stood by her story that the advances were unwanted and he was gross. What is there to talk about here? And since when was it the victim's job to patch things up? What is this? Who is this? Why are you calling? Hello? HELLO?!?!?!
From The New York Times:
“I did place a call to Ms. Hill at her office extending an olive branch to her after all these years, in hopes that we could ultimately get past what happened so long ago,” she said. “That offer still stands. I would be very happy to meet and talk with her if she would be willing to do the same. Certainly no offense was ever intended.”
In response to Ms. Thomas’s statement, Ms. Hill said that she had testified truthfully about her experiences with the future Justice Thomas and that she had nothing to apologize for.
“I appreciate that no offense was intended, but she can’t ask for an apology without suggesting that I did something wrong, and that is offensive,” Ms. Hill said.
It's TOO LATE, Ginni! Go to another Tea Party rally. Take another angry trip to a Wal-Mart parking lot in your RV with your husband. Gurl, gurl, GURL! Let it go! You won the war. Stop firing shots.
Reader Comments (54)
Yes, Ginni gets the biggest side eye I can give and an added "Girl, Sit. Down...Now."
As someone on the web said, it was an olive branch dusted with ricin.
I'm convinced Ginny was on the sauce when she made this call. Chile please.
silly ho.
anyhow, anita hill was and is bad. all day.
I'm surprised Ginnie would want an apology for an incident that forced the public to address what thousands of women experience everyday in the workplace. Has she never been sexually harassed, or is this the only way she can get to her silent husband?
This is just amazing in such an awful way:
1. It was almost 20 years ago. I, like Ms. Hill, would have thought this was a prank at first also.
2. I was a child when this case was played out in the media. Even though I was young, I still remember the way Ms. Hill was villanized for even attempting to challenge Clarence Thomas. I think even in the African American community more people were concerned about the fact that an AA woman was contesting an AA man in public instead of being focused on the real issue at hand: sexual harrassment and the lack of respect that many men have for their female counterparts inside the workplace.
3. Clarence Thomas got everything he wanted- a confirmation by the Senate which alludes to an exoneration and he got his seat in the Supreme Court. What more does he want?
4. This is harrasment from his wife. She has no business getting involved in this. Charges can be pressed against Ginni Thomas.
5. This reminds me so much of the Duke case. There seems to be a thought among Conservatives that they should not be taken to task for anything that they do, no matter how wrong the issue/crime is. There seems to be a mindset of "How dare you question me regarding the things I have done to you? I am ___________ " fill in the blank.
There comes a time when folks should learn to let sleeping dogs lie. If Mrs. Thomas truly wanted an apology, call during normal business hours. What does she or her creepy hubby have to gain at this point. If she needs piece of mind, get it from Ole Clarence.
But hey, some folks get off on beating dead horses.
@ DH
So true. If you want to still see your husband as a hero and a victim, fine. But don't drag other folks into your fantasy. Calling a woman up 19 years after the fact is harassment.
Mercy, mercy me!.Somethings you just don't do; like calling the acuser to ask HER to apologize for what hapen how many years ago,especially if she is right about what happen? Not only is that bold, but STUPID. Justice Thomas control your woman!
'Who is this? Why are you calling? Hello? HELLO?!?!?!"
Officially Dead!
Snob asks:
"What brought this up? Do you just reinact the hearings once a week to get yourselves all riled up all over again? Does he give the high tech lynching speech before blessing dinner?"
Which creates Domestic Scenarios that are too terrible to contemplate.
But contemplate them we must.
My version:
The night before The Call, Clarence and Ginni return from their usual Friday night Spot, the "VIP" dining room at Bennigan's in McLean, Virginia. As usual, a rip-roaring time was had by all -- they'd dined with Dick and Lynne
Cheney. They enjoy these Friday get-togethers at this Spot because that is Cattleman's Buffet Night.
So the menfolk polished off a rack o' Southern Smoked Ribs, four pitchers of Miller (Lite), a half-dozen baked potatos. (Dick passed on the butter and sour cream owing to that heart situation -- Danged arteries just won't stay unclogged!) The Wimminfolk had enjoyed their Endless Shrimp Special and broccoli, washed down with the best of AmRhein Wineries new Chardonneys -- none of that sissified California wines for Ginni and Lynne, no - oh- oh! They drank only labels from Virginia wineries, the more Germanic-sounding the better!
Lynne had cut herself off after that second bottle but Ginni -- ah Ginni was on a roll! Regaling them with stories from her recent whiste-stop tour on the Tea Party trail, and before anyone knew it, there were FOUR empty bottles of AmRhein on the table!
They parted company just after the Witching Hour: the Bennigan's manager usually let them stay as long as they wanted, but Dick was lookin' a bit peaked, and Ginni had wobbled a bit when she made her last trip to the Ladies' room. As Dick and Lynne ducked into the backseat of their stealth-sedan (driven by Twin Towering SS men in dark shades and ear-pieces. Yes, the shades stayed on, even at night) Ginni hugged Lynne and whispered sloshily, "Next time I visit the Tea Parties up in New England, you should come with me! They really do it up over there in Massa-SHOOT-ches.... though you'd never guess from how the Lamestream media fawns all over that pissy little Patrick."
The two women cackled, and bid each other goodnight.
In their Ford Expedition on the way home, Clarence asked what she and Lynne had been giggling about there at the Cheney's invisible car.
Ginni: "Oh, I was just trying to entice her to come with me next time I visit the Tea Partiers in New England. I swan, everytime I go up there, I feel like I have to watch my back....all those Eggheads and over-entitled bloggers running around, it can be exhausting....."
Clarence: "Nyuck, nyuck, nyuck, now there there Sugarfoot. No one in their right mind would try to roll on you....not anyone with any sense, I should say. I mean, I can think of ONE person in New England who probably would give you face full of buckshot, if she got the chance....."
Ginni: "Oh crap, not again with this....!"
Clarence: "Hey, you know what I'm saying, and you know its true! Bitch set me up! And you always act like it was 'OK," her lying like that on me. Gettin up in front of the Confirmation Committee and LYING ON ME."
GInni: "Hey, keep your eyes on the road, you nearly took out the Ridge's mailbox again!"
Clarence: "Well, all I'm saying is -- if you really, really, truly and one hundred thousand percent LOVED ME, you would not stand for it. You would not let her continue to exist in comfort and security, minding her own business as if she had not nearly torpedoed my DREAM JOB....the job I WORKED MY WHOLE LIFE FOR! The job I EARNED, the best job EVER IN THE WHOLE WORLD, WHICH NOBODY BETTA NOT EVER TRY TO TAKE FROM ME, EVER AGAIN!"
The Expedition veered dangerously toward the center line on the dark, back-road leading up to their sequestered estate, and Ginni grabbed the wheel just in the nick of time.
Together, they steered the lumbering vehicle into their own mile-long "driveway." Clarence's hands gripped the wheel tightly, but his breathing was returning to normal.
Ginni: "Clarence...I'm so sorry. Its okay, I got it. Baby, it is OK. Don't you worry, my Big Man. You are right. I get it I get it I get it....."
Clarence: "Not the first time I've heard that, Ginni......"
Ginni: "Well then hear this -- I GET IT, Clarence. And you best believe me when I say this right now: Mama's GOT THIS."
The next morning, Ginni tip-toed out of their bedroom at sunrise.
She had cotton mouth -- effing Chardonnay did it every time! -- but it was nothing a big tumbler of water and even bigger cup of bitter black coffee couldn't fix.
She padded down to her office next to the kitchen, fired up the HP, and got busy.........
sigh. The whole call was tasteless, lacks any kind of ettiquette and any sense of social decorum. My first reaction when I saw the story was to feel highly irritated that we have to hear more about this stuff. My next reaction...to feel highly irritated that the wife did that so we all now have to deal with speculating about whehter ginni was drunk or lost her mind....and..my third reaction..irritated over the constant stupidity going on in these high offices. I really want to categorically tell ANYONE is any publicly visible position: just say no to the constant stupidity.
@LOL lol.
Ms. Hill certainly exhibited better judgment and certainly more restraint than I would have; ol' girl would have gotten a serious tongue lashing, especially if I received that call before my McDonald's dollar coffee. Ms. Hill is to be commended now as she should have been commended then.
I had been in the USAF for about a year when this whole fiasco came about which also got me interested in how politicians try to play us. I remember hearing that Pres Bush had 'checkmated' the black community with the Thomas nomination and I haven't voted republican since. I also remember how a black man at work would call women Anital Hill if they spoke out about sexual harassment. SMDH. And I also think the fact that Ginny is a white woman harassing a black woman 19 years later is quite disturbing. Have those teabagging parties gone to Ginny's head or something? LOL
So breathtakingly stupid and unseemly. That phone call only illustrates that the Thomas' think denial is a river in Egypt and further illustrates that Uncle Ruckus is not fit to wear the robes of SCOTUS.
And can we talk about white privilege? Ole Ginny needs to just keep walking off the nearest cliff with the rest of the Tea Party lemmings.
Brilliant, Ms. Belton, to include the "Apologize" video. Always love your sparkling writing.
Here's what I've been pondering: Try to remember the 7:30 a.m. calls you've made and the ones you've received. With luck, you can count on one hand the ones you've made--and it would be even better if you can say you've never made ANY-- because there's usually something TERRIBLY off when this happens. Most sane people would rather not admit they've EVER been so out of whack they were compelled to do something so foolish.
Then think of what must have been going through Ginni Thomas's mind when she used such poor judgment.
Amy A is hilarious!!!! You paint the picture so well. I'm convinced that's exactly how it went down!
Anita you lookin kind of fine in that cute black cocktail dress, by the way is that a pubic hair on your glass!
Yeah, Anita does look pretty good. As for the phone call...WTF?!
Anita's response to this intrusive phone call from Ginny was the epitome of grace, poise and class. But, for real, 'Nita could have summed it all up in two words, "Bytch please!" and that would have been fine with me.
Snob,
This is totally OT, but have you seen this:
Most Racist Field Trip Evah!!!
First off let's be fair here the whole matter was a 'he said she said' we really don't know what if ANY of Miss Hill's allegations were true and her being demonized please she was also heavily praised by white female feminists who went out of their way to make this their cause celeb. Mind you these are the very SAME women who turned tail and change their tude when their 'golden boy' Clinton was accused of harassing Paula Jones nor were they quite so fucking vocal when it was Bob Packwood or Dick Morris or Gary Condit or the Kennedy males. They also didn't rush to put the producer suing dirty old creep and hypcorte Bill O'Really for sexual harassment either that goes for the Brett Farve case. How much cash money you want to bet if that were Donovan Mcnabb it would be a different story. I agree this is hella tacky but I'm not joining any high tech lynch mobs when not all of the facts were present and the only reason those troll ass harpie bitches were acting him was because of racism and politicalism and classism. If Anita were a waitress at Denny's and Clarence a fry cook those bitches woulnd't have given a rat's ass about either one of them it's all about the agenda people.
That's hard to read without punctuation, so I'm stopping at the word "true." I think anyone who would boil the Anita Hill-Clarence Thomas situation down to "he said, she said" are missing the reports of many women who corroborated Hill's account with their own stories of Thomas' misbehavior, who also said that Hill complained about Thomas' behavior at the time, etc.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Thomas:
B----es please. :-/