It has been a crazy past year for women, when the MeToo movement against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein went viral because of hundreds of women accusing him of harassment, more and more women are coming out and finding the courage to tell their stories. One of them is a professor who has accused a powerful judge in the Congress of assault.
Kavanaugh Allegations
It was earlier this year when news broke out that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, was accused by a professor from California for assault and harassment that occurred almost 30 years ago. It was revealed that Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, went to high school with Kavanaugh in Maryland back in the 1980s. Her story was revealed with the help of her legal representation Debra Katz, who is known to be one of the best female lawyers in Washington D.C. Ford thought at that time that he was going to kill her but she managed to get away. When this news broke out, the White House, including Trump who nominated him for the Supreme Court position, seemed to have been defending Kavanaugh after he stated that all of these are lies.
Things got even more complicated when another woman, in the person of Deborah Ramirez, came out and revealed that she as well, has been harassed by the judge. According to some members of the Senate, this is now considered to be credible since not just one but now two are accusing Kavanaugh of the same crime. The 53-year-old woman went to Yale University with Kavanaugh, wherein she studied psychology. Ramirez hesitated to speak up when she was contacted by The New Yorker about it. She revealed that it happened during a drunken dormitory party. However, it was of course denied by Kavanaugh and he is still backed up by the White House.
In a statement by Kerri Kupac, who is the spokesperson for the White House, this is just one of those things that attempt to smear the campaign of Kavanaugh by none other than the Democrats. It is an attempt to “tear down a good man”
Students Join #BelieveSurvivors National Walkout
Then again, this is, of course, something that caught the attention of many people all over the country, especially young women. In fact, last Monday (Sept.24), people (mostly women), decided to stage a nationwide walkout to show their support for Dr. Christine Balsey Ford and Deborah Ramirez.
Tons of Yale Law School students skipped class, so they could join the walkout against their fellow Yale student who is now judge and is nominated for the Supreme Court. More than 30 professors in the said law school actually had to cancel their classes to support their students’ walkout.
This is because of the alleged cover-up and protection towards Kavanaugh. Professors even signed a letter for the Senate Judiciary Committee, asking them to take this matter seriously. Students in the hallway of the school were wearing black, and a third-law student named Catherine McCarthy said that it was incredibly moving when she saw their school filled with people wearing black and staying silent in support of the demonstration. It was also reported that there were actually more than 300 students who participated within the campus, while more than a hundred flew all the way to Washington.
We had a full minute of silence on set to support Dr. Ford. #BelieveSurvivors #BelieveWomen #TimesUp pic.twitter.com/7zcHeRw13k
— Emmy Rossum (@emmyrossum) September 24, 2018
Celebrities Support National Walkout
With the official hashtag BelieveSurvivors, people were joined by celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, Allison Janey, America Ferra and more. They were all wearing blank and were also joined by some politicians such as California Senator Kampala Harris. Fonda even tweeted a photo that says they are there to stand by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. Actress Emmy Rossum also posted a tweet for their support on Ford.
Crowds are gathering at the Capital. We stand in solidarity with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. #BelieveSurvivors #TIMESUP
— Jane Seymour Fonda (@Janefonda) September 24, 2018
This walkout lasted for an hour and this then led to another delay on the Kavanaugh nomination. It also spurred a parallel movement of other female celebrities who came together with the hashtag WhyIDidntReport tag. Actresses like Alyssa Milano, Lili Reinhard, and more have posted why they decided to keep their mouths shut. Reinhart, who is from the CW’s Riverdale, said that she was scared that she was going to lose her job is she tried to say something.