Courage and Authenticity: How Women Exercise Power
By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)
“There will be people who… will wish you had just kept your mouth shut,” said Anita Hill, discussing the challenges women face when speaking in the face of adversity. “But you have to deal with reasserting yourself, and being your authentic self.”
Hill was speaking at the National Council for Research on Women’s annual awards dinner last night, and she commented passionately on the importance of having courage. Hill said, had she known the outcome of her 1991 televised testimony on sexual harassment claims against US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, and the character and credibility smear she endured afterward, she still would have gone through with it.
Honorees for the night included Soledad O’Brien, CNN Anchor and Special Correspondent; Beth Brooke, Global Vice Chair, Public Policy, Ernst & Young; Anita Hill, Senior Advisor to the Provost, Professor of Law, Public Policy and Women’s Studies, Brandeis University; and the creators of the PBS Series Women, War & Peace, Abigail Disney, Pamela Hogan, and Gini Reticker.
Speaking on the panel, Hill was joined by O’Brien, Brooke, and Disney, discussing the nature of courage, authenticity, and power.
“When it comes to women and leadership, many of them get into leadership because of something that happens to them and they have to do it,” Hill said. “They care about a problem and they want it addressed and know they have something to add.”
“Find an issue you are passionate about and become the leader to address it.”
Using Your Platform
O’Brien asked Brooke to describe an instance when she stood up for something she believed in, and she responded that small things can make a big difference.
She recalled a meeting she’d been in with E&Y’s chairman. She and some of the other women in the room had repeatedly made the same point, and were ignored. When a male participant made the same point, the chairman agreed and thanked him. The mood in the meeting turned sour.
Later on, Brooke took the chairman aside and pointed out what had happened. He apologized and, she said, it never happened again. Brooke realized that she was in the position to make a difference, and said she felt she had to use her platform to do so.
“You can not change things if you remove yourself from the table,” she explained.
Brooke added, “Using your platform – that’s what leadership is all about – using your platform… to do things that cause actions and reactions.”
Disney said that in many ways owning your own power comes down to visibility – sometimes that platform is not only unclear to others, but to yourself as well. “I really believe in being made visible to yourself – the power of that.”
It also means challenging what people perceive as valuable or worth discussing.
She explained that while researching for her film Pray the Devil Back to Hell, about how Liberian women ended the country’s 14-year civil war, she was looking for specific footage of women at Liberia’s peace hall and there was none. “How are we supposed to become part of the record if we aren’t perceived by camera men… as part of the frame?”
Taking control of your platform to power means readjusting that frame, she explained.
Ripen the Times
Disney commented on the need to reflect. “It’s important for all of us to understand how far we’ve come,” she said.
Hill agreed. Standing up for what you believe in can feel isolating, but banding together with others will help you own your power. “It’s so important to connect with others and realize what we’ve done isn’t for nothing.”
Linda Basch, PhD, President of the NCRW, also discussed the importance of reflecting on how far we’ve come, and she highlighted the importance of recognizing how far we still have to go. She commented on the “need to open many more doors to enable women to contribute more fully,” and said the organization will embark on two goals moving forward.
First, she said, the organization is going to focus on creating opportunities especially for low-income women. Second, she said, the organization will work to increase the numbers of women in positions of power. Despite the best efforts of many individuals and organizations, women currently only make up 17% of Congress and only 18% of corporate board seats in the United States. In order to move forward in the 21st century, she pointed out, “We’ll need the talents of all members of our society.”
Responding to those who say that it’s only a matter of time before women emerge as leaders, she quoted activist Dorothy Height’s call to action: “If the times aren’t ripe, you have to ripen the times.”
