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On the other hand, race played a role in the rush to judgment against Thomas. Given the stereotype of sexually rapacious black men, it was easy for many Americans, black and white, to conclude that Thomas was guilty even before they heard Hill's testimony.
Either Thomas or Hill is lying about what happened behind closed office doors. So far, no one, not even Thomas, has suggested a reason for Hill to tell untruths about him. Nor, despite the innuendos from Specter and Hatch, is there evidence that she suffers from a mental illness that would lead her to fabricate her story.
Hill has paid an enormous price in unwanted notoriety. She testified that she had never intended to make a complaint against Thomas until she was contacted by Democratic Senate staffers, and she continued to agonize about how far she should go even after being interviewed by the FBI. Whoever is telling the truth, Anita Hill's story would not have set the stage for last week's appalling spectacle if the Judiciary Committee had initially treated her story as seriously as the Senators would have taken an equally explosive charge by a white male.