1,600 Men Show Their Support for Christine Blasey Ford in Full-Page 'New York Times' Ad
On Thursday Christine Blasey Ford will testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee about the allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982. Women around the country have taken to social media over the past week to voice their support of Ford, even staging the National #BelieveSurvivors Walkout on Monday.
Now it’s time for the men to step up.
Today’s New York Times features a full-page ad with the headline, “We believe Anita Hill. We also believe Christine Blasey Ford,” plastered along the top. The ad echoes one placed in the paper back in 1991 when 1,600 African American women in support of Anita Hill—the law professor who testified during the Clarence Thomas nomination hearings—banded together to buy the ad, “African American Women in Defense of Ourselves.”
The ad was crowdfunded in an initiative started last Friday by Meena Harris, founder of the Phenomenal Women Action Campaign, and Alicia Garza, cofounder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. Their goal was to raise $100,000. Currently, their fund-raising page notes that over $134,000 has been donated. (The page notes that excess funds will go to Futures Without Violence, a group dedicated to ending violence against women, children, and families around the world.)
“I had been very inspired by the story of the 1,600 black women who came together in 1991 to take out a full-page ad in The New York Times,” Harris (who also happens to be the niece of California Senator Kamala Harris) told Mic.
“We’ve asked men to step up [and sign], so it’s not only the burden of women to do this,” she continued.
The full text of the ad references its inspiration, as well:
Twenty-seven years ago, on November 17, 1991, 1,600 black women joined together and placed a full-page ad in The New York Times to support Professor Anita Hill when she faced backlash for accusing Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment. They called it, ‘African American Women in Defense of Ourselves.’ Today we follow in the footsteps of those courageous women.
We are 1,600 men who now stand behind both Professor Anita Hill, as well as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, because we believe them. As men who are allies in the fight to end violence and harassment against women and girls, we write to express our strong support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for her willingness to speak out publicly and testify before the Senate about the sexual assault that she says was perpetrated against her by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.
We believe survivors, and we call on all men of good will to stand with us to ensure that Dr. Blasey Ford’s story is carefully and fully examined without bias or prejudice. It is imperative that the politics of this moment not discolor the facts. Justice demands that both Dr. Blasey Ford and her story be treated fairly, impartially, and with respect.
Too frequently, survivors of sexual assault are forced to suffer in silence. Those that choose to speak out often face backlash, skepticism, and ridicule. As we’ve seen once again the last few weeks, that kind of virulent backlash is most acutely on display whenever those accused of misdeeds are powerful men. If appointed to the Supreme Court, few men would be more powerful than Judge Kavanaugh.
We are a group of men with varying political and legal views. But we each believe women should no longer have to carry these burdens alone.
For decades, a culture of misogyny has allowed men to act with impunity and without consequence. We demand an end to that culture, and we pledge to do our part in dismantling it. That’s why we are speaking out today in favor of a just process, and for the rights of women like Dr. Blasey Ford to be heard fully, fairly, and with respect.
In the words of Anita Hill, ‘There is no way to redo 1991, but there are ways to do better.'”
Male allies are also sharing the ad and its message across their social media platforms.
https://twitter.com/rileylroberts/status/1044953066506792960
https://twitter.com/benrileysmith/status/1044947864210804736
Ford and Kavanaugh are both slated to testify on Thursday. For the latest on the Kavanaugh nomination, click here.
MORE: A Third Woman Comes Forward with Allegations About Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh