Standing, and Marching, for What is Right
It was also a Tuesday in October, 1991 when a posse of seven, Democratic, female House members cruised over to the Senate to express their grievances. And the issue that drove these Democratic Congresswoman to the sister body was the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The House members called on their Senate counterparts to delay Thomas's confirmation vote. They implored the mostly-male body to restart the hearings and give law professor Anita Hill a chance to make her allegations of sexual harassment.
Then-Rep. Pat Schroeder (D-CO) led the march to the Senate alongside Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY). They were joined by Boxer (who was then a House member), Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), then-Rep. Jolene Unsoeld (D-WA), the late Rep. Patsy Mink (D-HI) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the capital city's non-voting delegate to Capitol Hill.
The women found the room where Senate Democrats huddled behind closed doors. And were told they couldn't enter.
Undeterred, they rapped at the door again.
"We were told that nobody ever gets in there," fumed Slaughter to the New York Times. "Certainly not women from the House."
Finally, a staffer with then-Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-ME) informed the band of women he'd meet with them after the conclave…
Even though the women weren't admitted to the confab, they got their way. The Senate postponed Thomas's confirmation vote. The Judiciary Committee re-opened the hearings and called Hill as a witness. And the term "sexual harassment" quickly entered the American vernacular.
I couldn’t be prouder of the stand I took that day. Along with my female colleagues, we did what they said couldn’t be done. We stood up against some of the most powerful people in Washington, and we won.
I have always believed in the true meaning of responsibility- that those with the ability must respond. I’ve always known that it’s not enough to come to Washington and simply play the partisan game. That’s why I’ve always spoken up against the powerful, and taken on the fights that no one else will.
In this campaign, and in the years to come, I plan to continue standing up and speaking out- for every American woman and man. Standing with you, I know that we can win.