Hollywood is accepting the challenge to fight sexual harassment within its ranks through the newly formed Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace, and they're placing attorney and law professor Anita Hill in charge.
Talk of such a commission began in October as allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein emerged. Eight-time Academy Award-nominated Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy's speech at Elle's Women in Hollywood event urged the participation of not only those in the American film and television industry, but also "specialists in labor and management practices, lawyers and legal scholars, sociologists, psychologists, feminists, activists, and theorists."
Now, just two months later, the commission is a reality thanks largely to the efforts of Kennedy, Nike Foundation founder and co-chair Maria Eitel, attorney Nina Shaw, and venture capitalist Freada Kapor Klein.
The Anita Hill Effect
The term "sexual harassment" has been around since at least 1975 when it appeared in a New York Times article about women speaking about their experiences of being sexually harassed at work, and a 1986 Supreme Court case established that a woman could sue her employer for sexual harassment under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. But Hill's testimony in 1991 against then-nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States Clarence Thomas drew unprecedented public attention to the problem of sexual harassment in the workplace—right into people's living rooms via their televisions.
More tangibly, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reported that in 1991, 6,883 sexual harassment complaints were filed, but by 1998, that number more than doubled to 15,618.
Under current law, those who suffer sexual harassment at work should first follow their employer's procedures for dealing with the problem. The next step is filing a formal sexual harassment complaint with the EEOC and/or with the state fair employment agency, if there is one. An employee has 300 days from an act of sexual harassment to file a complaint with the EEOC. Only if and when the EEOC issues a "right to sue" letter can a lawsuit be filed in federal or state court, where a complainant may be entitled to monetary damages, reinstatement, back pay, attorney's fees, and other relief.
The Future of the Commission
The list of those who attended the meeting to form the Hollywood commission contains some of the most powerful women—and men—in the business, including Disney chairman/CEO Bob Iger, CBS Corp. chair/CEO Leslie Moonves, and William Morris Endeavor co-chair Ari Emanuel. Early next year, the commission will meet to hammer out its courses of action and objectives, and hopes are high for progress.
“The fact that so many industry leaders—across film, television, music, digital, unions, agencies, ATA, AMPAS, television academy and guilds—came together, in one room, to explore solutions speaks to a new era,” Kennedy said.
The commission will address many issues concerning sexual harassment, according to a statement by Hill, who, since her 1991 testimony, has been active in women's and human rights issues as past-chair of the Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Association and a current director on the boards of both the National Women's Law Center and the Boston Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.
“We will be focusing on issues ranging from power disparity, equity and fairness, safety, sexual harassment guidelines, education and training, reporting and enforcement, ongoing research and data collection," Hill said. "It is time to end the culture of silence. I’ve been at this work for 26 years. This moment presents us with an unprecedented opportunity to make real change.”
"Real change" and a "new era" regarding sexual harassment in the workplace ushered in by none other than Anita Hill? That story would make a great movie, but it's even better to watch in real life.
