Dr. Barbara Ransby Interviewed on Democracy Now!
Dr. Barbara Ransby joined the program “Democracy Now!” to discuss the Anita Hill hearings in the context of the current hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh. She explains, "I see a lot of similarities, you know, with this case. There are some obvious differences. Christine Blasey Ford is alleging actual sexual assault. Anita Hill was alleging—and we believe her—we believe—I believe Christine Blasey Ford. But the difference between harassment and sexual assault is a significant one. The racial and class backgrounds of the accuser and the accused is different. And, of course, it’s 27 years later. So, all those things are part of my reaction to this. But despite #MeToo, despite all of the heroic work of so many women organizers for so many years, patriarchy and misogyny are still very much alive and well, and we see it playing out in how these stories are being retold, but also in how the senators, Republican senators, are behaving—with skepticism and concern more about optics than substance."