Through a program titled “Celebrate Black History Month All Year-Long at ISU,” the Committee on Lectures is sponsoring a series of lectures and events honoring Black History Month, including a presentation by one of the most controversial women of the past decade.

Anita Hill became a household name almost a decade ago when she charged then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice candidate Clarence Thomas with sexual harassment.

Hill, who recently authored the book “Speaking Truth to Power,” was one of the first women to bring forth the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace when she accused him in 1991.

Hill testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the alleged treatment she received while working for Thomas, including his alleged use of graphic sexual remarks and lurid jokes in the workplace.

Thomas was later appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, but Hill, having been watched by 40 million viewers during the hearings, became a women’s rights activist and garnered international fame.

Judy Dolphin, executive of ISU’s YWCA, said she is “thrilled” that Hill is coming to ISU.

“I’m looking forward very much to hearing her speech,” Dolphin said, noting that the Committee on Lectures has been working for many years to bring Hill to ISU.

“Back when we first wanted her to come, the issue was the backlash from the hearings, and today I’m more interested in what’s going on in the real world for [women’s] issues today,” she said.

Hill’s program will be the last in the series of Black History Month activities.

Her lecture will be held on Monday, April 6, at 8 p.m. in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

The point of Black History Month, said Meron Wondwosen, co-chairwoman of Committee on Lectures and president of the Black Student Alliance, is to recognize and raise awareness about the contributions of African-American men and women.

Noting the number of feminist speakers for Black History Month, Wondwosen said the link between feminism and African American history is apparent.

“[There have been many] women of African descent who have contributed to suffrage, all the way back to Sojourner Truth,” Wondwosen, senior in political science and French, said. “There’s a definite history.”

Wondwosen said she thinks students of various backgrounds will enjoy the speakers.

In reference to the “All-Year Long” portion of Black History Month’s title, Pat Miller, director of Committee on Lectures, said the committee believes Black History Month shouldn’t be celebrated just during the month of February.

“The Black Experience: A Cry for World Peace” by Ladjamaya, will perform its collage of “poetry, prose, drama and song” this Wednesday at 8 p.m. in the Great Hall of the MU.

Herman Blake, director of the African American Studies Program, and Valerie Grim, visiting professor of history, will present their program, “Freedom, Democracy and the Spirit of Revolution” on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 8 p.m. in the Pioneer Room of the MU.

In reference to the historical women’s rights convention, “150 Years After Seneca Falls: Bridging Race, Class and Gender” panel will present its discussion at noon, March 4, in the Gallery Room of the MU.

The panel will include Grim, Dorothy Schwider and Mary Kay Blakely. Schwieder is a professor of history at ISU, and Blakely is an associate professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism, as well as contributing editor of Ms. magazine.

Dolphin said she hopes ISU students take advantage of the opportunities of listening to the speakers featured for Black History Month.

“I hope we have lots of people who will come and listen … so we can have open, honest dialogue,” Dolphin said.

Black History was first officially celebrated in the 1920s with the creation of Black History Week by Carter G. Woodson, a black scholar and historian.

Black History Week was expanded to Black History Month in the 1960s, and February was named the official month of commemoration in honor of famed African-American activist Frederick Douglass’ birth date, according to information provided by the Christian Science Monitor Web page.