Interview with Sukari Hardnett

“If you were young, black, female and reasonably attractive and worked directly for Clarence Thomas, you knew full well you were being inspected and auditioned as a female. You knew when you were in favor because you were always at his beck and call, being summoned constantly, tracked down wherever you were in the agency and given special deference by others because of his interest. You knew when you had ceased to be an object of sexual interest — because you were barred from entering his office and treated as an outcast or, worse, a leper with whom contact was taboo. For my own part, I found his attention unpleasant, sought a transfer, was told one “just doesn’t do that,” insisted nonetheless, and paid the price as an outcast for the remainder of my employment at EEOC. That is why I resigned and left the EEOC. To maintain that Clarence Thomas’s office was untainted by any sexuality and permeated by loving, nurturing, but asexual concern is simply a lie. Women know when there are sexual dimensions to the attention they are receiving. And there was never any doubt about that dimension in Clarence Thomas’s office. I know it. Clarence Thomas knows it. And I know he knows it because he discussed some of the females in his office with me. I have told all of this to Senate staff.”     Sukari Hardnett