In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Level Playing Field Institute had the honor (again!) to host Anita Hill for a fireside chat, this time moderated by CNET en Español’s Claudia Cruz. The conversation, titled “Leveraging this Moment for Lasting Change,” was held at the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco last Friday.
In front of a crowd of folks involved in tech ERGs (employee resource groups) and passionate about D&I (diversity and inclusion), Hill discussed how far society has come since her 1991 testimony, and the momentum the movement is gaining in the wake of #MeToo and #TimesUp.
Anita and Claudia touched on topics like:
The First Amendment and role of the media in shaping the perception of victims vs. perpetrators of sexual harassment and assault:
Accountability in the judicial system:
The importance of intersectionality in the pursuit of social justice and how non-people of color, especially white women can be allies in the movement:
What she thought of the billion-dollar blockbuster hit, Black Panther:
And finally, our STEM education program, SMASH:
As a SMASH alum working at the Level Playing Field Institute, this event was especially poignant for me. Being in the presence of such a strong figure and living legend of speaking truth to power was truly humbling.
But what made this experience all the more special for me was that that our founder, Freada Kapor Klein, had invited me to give closing remarks that evening. So, with great pride, I gave a short speech highlighting the importance of community in the movement for social justice, and the transformative impact that the people in my communities, like Anita, Freada and of course, my fellow SMASH alumni, have had on my life.
Not a bad way to celebrate Women’s History Month!