‘Millions of us have your back:’ #DearProfessorFord goes viral as women nationwide take stand for Kavanaugh accuser

"Millions of us have your back. We call on Senators to demand a full, fair and trauma-informed investigation."

By
Jake Johnson
-
286
SOURCECommon Dreams
Image Credit: MoveOn.org/Twitter

Women nationwide have a message for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Trump Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh of attempted rape: “You are not alone. You are a survivor. And millions of us have your back.”

As the 11 Republican men on the Senate Judiciary Committee rally behind Kavanaugh and refuse to honor his accuser’s call for an FBI investigation, women from across the U.S. took to social media on Wednesday to show solidarity with Ford, thank her for bravely telling her story, and pressure senators to put Kavanaugh’s confirmation process on hold until a full probe is conducted.

“We applaud your courage in coming forward for the public good, and we will be with you as you face the inevitable backlash,” women’s rights activists and celebrities declared in a viral video accompanied by the hashtag #DearProfessorFord.

“As members of the Senate determine whether Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh should serve as a Supreme Court Justice, this context is critical,” the women continued. “The behavior you described was wrong and runs directly counter to upholding the law and promoting justice. He should not be confirmed.”

The powerful demonstration of support for Ford comes as President Donald Trump and Republican senators continue to signal that they plan to plow ahead with a scheduled hearing on Monday without an FBI investigation, and whether or not Ford agrees to testify.

As Judd Legum noted in his Popular Information newsletter on Thursday, there’s a good reason why Republicans are rushing Kavanaugh’s confirmation process in the midst of serious sexual assault allegations: “They are seeking to maximize Kavanaugh’s advantage over Ford in a public hearing.”

“Kavanaugh has the full resources of the White House, the Republican Party and a phalanx of outside groups to prepare him for the hearing and reinforce his message,” Legum observed. “The White House counsel, communications director, and press secretary have reportedly been grilling Kavanaugh for hours to prepare him.”

By contrast, Legum pointed out, Ford “has no entourage of political professionals to prepare her for a public cross-examination by 11 Republican men. In recent days, she has been subjected to death threats, forced out of her home and into hiding.”

With their expression of solidarity on Wednesday, American women sought to show Ford that while dozens of powerful men in the Senate and the White House work furiously to place the man who allegedly assaulted her on the nation’s highest court, millions of women – many of whom are also survivors of sexual assault – will continue to fight for justice on her behalf.

 

FALL FUNDRAISER

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