10/11/2026
Thirty-five years ago today, Anita Hill faced 14 U.S. senators, all of them men, and testified on live television that her former boss had sexually harassed her.
She was 35 years old. For hours, she was questioned, doubted, and picked apart in front of millions. Many people didn’t believe her.
But millions of others heard their own stories in hers. In the years that followed, sexual harassment complaints to the EEOC surged.
That same fall, the Civil Rights Act of 1991 became law, giving workers in federal discrimination cases the right to a jury trial and the ability to seek damages beyond lost wages.
Then, on October 11, 2019, exactly 28 years after she testified, New York stopped requiring workers to prove that harassment was “severe or pervasive” for it to be unlawful under state law. The focus shifted from “Was it bad enough?” to “Were you treated worse because of who you are?”
Thirty-five years later, the law is stronger. But somewhere right now, someone is deciding whether to report what’s happening to them on the job and wondering what it might cost.
Speaking up still takes courage. No one should have to be brave just to be safe at work.
If that’s you, you may have legal options, and the law generally protects employees from retaliation for reporting harassment. You don’t have to figure out what comes next on your own. Call 800-807-2209 or visit dereksmithlaw.com.
