The name "Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford" was in every headline up until recently, but now things have quieted down. Brett Kavanaugh won that lifetime position on the Supreme Court, and the ever-babbling journalists and news anchors have moved on.
I have not.
To some, Dr. Ford will just be another accuser, another momentary distraction from everything else going on. She will just be someone else paid by the Democratic party to usurp the Republican's grip on our government. She will just be another face.
It's easy to think that when you have never gone through what she went through. Those are quick and simple explanations when everything is politics to you.
The truth is, Dr. Ford not only went through sexual assault, but she came forward with her story. And not just to herself, or her family. She opened up to the WORLD about what happened to her. If you watched her testimony, you could openly see the struggle to recall what was no doubt a scarring, disturbing memory for her. The tears and the pure emotion on her face had me believing her even more than I already did.
Yes, I believe her. And I applaud this woman's bravery, and her determination to tell her truth. In spite of the death threats she received. In spite of her having to leave her home. Dr. Ford did not back down.
Notice, I have not smeared or talked badly of Brett Kavanaugh. This is because I did not see those testimonies as Brett vs. Christine. I did not throw away my empathy for her because she was going against a Republican. This was never and should never have been political. This was about a woman who was sexually assaulted.
This was about a woman who was in pain for over 30 years, and who was having her name shamed by FOX News. This was about a woman who wanted to be believed. This was about a woman who could have been your family member, your mother, your aunt, your sister.
This was about a woman.
With that said, I know men have been falsely accused before. I am not blind to that. I know women have created stories for their own or someone else's gain. I know men have had their names ruined due to lies.
However, in this case, all I know is that I believed Dr. Ford. My heart broke that her experience was becoming a joke, and not seen as what it should have simply been: a woman coming forward with her story. Dr. Ford was never a political object to me. That is not what she wanted. And it is not what I will remember.
I sent Dr. Ford a postcard about a week after Brett Kavanaugh was elected. I thanked her for coming forward, and for paving the way for others to not be afraid. I told her that she was extraordinary and that history would not forget her. I told her that I was by her side.
I told her I believed her, from day one.
I will never forget her name because she stood up for herself. She stood up for women who have been through trauma. She stood up for people who needed to be shown that you can do it.
She stood up for me.
If you would like to send Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford some encouragement and love, send to her place of work.
Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford
C/o Palo Alto University
1791 Arastradero Rd.
Palo Alto CA 94304
*Send a postcard so it doesn't have to be screened.*
