What RBG taught Anita Hill about ‘power’

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October 2, 2020

Good morning, Broadsheet readers! President Trump and Melania Trump test positive for COVID-19 after Hope Hicks contracts the virus, this week marked Native Women’s Equal Pay Day, and Anita Hill remembers RBG. Wishing you a peaceful weekend.

– A legendary tribute. The Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit closed out yesterday with, fittingly, a reflection on what it means to be “powerful.”

In a panel tribute to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Anita Hill captured one of the several ways Ginsburg inspired so many. Ginsburg’s frequent dissents—along with their memorable language and feeling, for some, of being on the right side of history—sent a real message about power and who holds it.

“You don’t have to be in the winning column to be powerful,” Hill said of the dissents’ lessons. “You can actually make change when the decisions go in the other direction.”

That reflection, of course, holds special weight coming from Hill, whose historic testimony about sexual harassment by Justice Clarence Thomas in the 1990s still ended with his confirmation to the Supreme Court.

Hill, who today is a law professor at Brandeis, also shared how Ginsburg, in her own quiet way, supported her as the justice joined the nation’s highest court not long after that Senate testimony. Ginsburg, Hill heard, displayed Hill’s book on her bookshelf at work. “It was the affirmation I needed,” Hill remembered. “Not that I wanted her to pick sides, but I wanted someone to acknowledge that I had a side that was worth hearing.”

Thanks for following along this year. More from the last day of the 2020 Summit below.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
@_emmahinchliffe

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MORE FROM THE MPW SUMMIT

- Taking the leap. Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson rejects the idea of the "glass cliff," or the phenomenon where companies bring in female leaders only when times are tough. "It’s exhausting that that word is put forward when a woman steps into a CEO job. I chose this," she says. Fortune

- SPAC story. Special purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, are here to stay, says New York Stock Exchange president Stacey Cunningham. Fortune

- Crisis x2. How do you lead through a crisis? "Focus on what you can control," says Ellen Kullman, who led the Fortune 500 business DuPont through the recession and is now CEO of startup Carbon. Fortune

- Out of this world. Curious what the U.S. Space Force actually does (or will do)? Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, who also leads the new division, says we use "space assets," from GPS connections to traffic reports, every day. "Before your first cup of coffee in the morning, you’ve probably used space. But you may not know about it," she says. Fortune

- Change the criteria. Changing your hiring criteria can be the key to reimagining your workforce, IBM executive chair Ginni Rommetty says. The tech company eliminated a four-year college degree requirement for 43% of open positions. "It didn't dumb down our workforce," she says. "What we found is their ability to perform, their curiosity, matched everyone's." Fortune

Don't blame the pipeline. Crystal Ashby, interim CEO of the ELC, dismissed the misconception—recently espoused by Bank of America CEO Charlie Scharf—that there's not enough Black talent in corporate America: "We happen to be everywhere," she said. Ashby also shared some steps companies must take in order to develop—and retain—the Black talent they already have. Fortune

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Euler Hermes promoted Clarisse Kopff to CEO. Fast Company promoted Melissa Rocco to SVP, sales. Newly public Warner Music Group has added Ceci Kurzman, founder and president of Nexus Management Group, to its board, making her its first Black director.

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ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

- Positive tests. President Trump and Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus. Their results were announced late last night after adviser Hope Hicks tested positive earlier yesterday (she traveled with the President on Air Force One this week). It's still unclear what, if any, symptoms the Trumps are experiencing. New York Times

- Election business. Fortune is out with a comprehensive package of stories diving into what business—from all angles—needs from the 2020 election. One of those stories covers what working parents are seeking from their political leaders, from universal childcare to paid parental leave. Fortune

- Pay day. Yesterday was Native Women's Equal Pay Day, marking the 60 cents-on-the-dollar pay gap between Native women and white men. It's one of the latest equal pay days of the year, denoting a larger wage gap. Ms. Magazine

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