Anita Hill, attorney and author of “Speaking Truth to Power,” will visit Iowa State on April 6 as a favor to an old friend.

Hill will be on campus to speak for the Strong-Minded Women Awards, sponsored by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics.

Dianne Bystrom, director of the Catt Center, said she became acquainted with Hill as both a co-worker and friend when Hill was a law professor at Oklahoma State University from 1986 to 1997.

“When I became the director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center and became more familiar with the Strong-Minded Women program, I immediately thought of Anita as someone who would be a powerful and inspirational voice for the Strong-Minded Women Awards,” Bystrom said.

For the past five years, the Strong-Minded Women annual celebration and awards program has recognized women for the positive impact they have had on students, their families, the university and the community.

Bystrom initially contacted Hill in 1996, hoping to bring her to campus as part of the Catt Center’s annual conference. But Hill was interested in a different part of the program.

“She liked the idea of a celebration that honored women for their contribution,” Bystrom said. “She said that it would be something that would interest her in coming to Iowa State.”

Ruth Mandel, holder of the 1997-98 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics, also has long-standing ties with Hill. Bystrom said the women met in 1991 when Mandel, who was director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, invited Hill to speak at the center’s annual conference.

“It was her first public presentation following the hearings,” she said.

She added that Mandel purposely coordinated her spring visit to ISU with Hill’s presentation.

The Strong-Minded Women celebration will begin with a reception at 5 p.m. honoring the recipients of the 1998 Strong-Minded Women Awards.

At the 6 p.m. dinner, Hill will speak briefly and will join Mandel and ISU officials in presenting the awards.

At 8 p.m., Hill will deliver a speech on “Speaking Truth to Power,” which will feature her memoirs and personal reflections of the 1991 Clarence Thomas hearings.

Pat Miller, coordinator of the Committee on Lectures, said students and faculty are greatly anticipating Hill’s visit.

“We’ve tried to get Hill to set us into her schedule for years,” Miller said.

She said Hill’s visit is “very timely” with the current scandal in Washington and that Hill will touch on many issues.

“Everyone is very familiar with her, and she has become a bit of an icon,” Miller said.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Committee on Lectures, the Colleges of LAS, Engineering, Agriculture, Business, Vet Med, Education and Family and Consumer Sciences.

Other sponsors include the Department of Political Science, Women and Science in Engineering, the African American Studies Program, the Women’s Studies Program and the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.