It goes without saying that Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination has been front and center of American discourse for the past two weeks. I likely don’t need to rehash many of the details, but, in the time since his nomination, multiple women have come forward accusing him of sexual misconduct in high school and college. On September 27, both Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Dr. Ford’s allegations that Kavanaugh attempted to assault her in high school. The following day, Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz) called for a limited, one-week investigation into Kavanaugh’s allegations, which wrapped up on October 4. On October 5, the Senate ended debate, and likely many people reading this got an iPhone notification that Kavanaugh had garnered enough votes for confirmation – Senator Susan Collins announced that she would vote for Kavanaugh, giving him enough support to be confirmed. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va) became the only Democrat to back Kavanaugh, likely because he is running for reelection in a state that swung highly in Trump’s favor in 2016. Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) was the only Republican to oppose his nomination.
But, you likely knew most – or all – of those details. So, let’s get back to the point of this article. Who is Dr. Christine Blasey Ford? Currently, Dr. Ford is a psychology professor at Palo Alto University and a research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Before her successful career, she earned multiple graduate degrees from Pepperdine, University of Southern California, Stanford, and she earned her BA from UNC-Chapel Hill. She attended an all-girls high school just outside of the Washington, DC area. And, on September 27, Dr. Ford became one of the bravest American women and a role model for many girls.
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To me, Dr. Ford isn’t a stranger. To me, Dr. Ford shares a similar grit and courageousness that is characteristic of many girls that I know or have heard of before. Be those my high school classmates, my college roommates, or my female professors, Dr. Ford embodies the best parts of each of them. Sadly, Dr. Ford’s story isn’t all that unique or rare. In fact, only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to police, meaning that about 2 out of 3 go unreported. What Dr. Ford did last Thursday during her testimony gave a voice to the voiceless, to the girls who go unheard. Like Dr. Ford, I attended an all-girls high school in Washington, DC, where we grew accustomed to sexist language and misogynistic behavior from our boy-counterparts across the campus. It never dawned on me until college that it was unusual to be subjected to sexist comments each day in class, or that school-sanctioned dances themed “Pants Dance” – which meant that girls were expected to only wear yoga pants or shorts made of spandex – weren’t usual high school fare. Dr. Ford is similar to many of us, and her bravery teaches us many important lessons.
Don’t tolerate the “Boys will be boys” culture. Hold people – both boys and girls – accountable for their actions when they occur. Whether it’s a passing comment about a girl’s outfit or intelligence or something more serious, call people out. We need to put an end to a culture that lacks consequences and teaches many people that they can get away with sexist language and aggressive behavior. When someone tells you about a troubling situation or offensive language, don’t take that lightly. Take that seriously, because one day those people might be our Supreme Court Justices, our bosses, our coworkers, our spouses, or our friends.
Support survivors. Sometimes, it’s really difficult to know what to do next or how to best support a friend and be an ally to them as they deal with something as difficult as assault or harassment. It’s okay to admit that you don’t have the professional expertise. Instead, focus on how to best support your friend – the first step being belief. Believing survivors gives them the courage and reassurance that their voices will be heard. As we learned this past week, there’s strength in numbers, and it is vital to believe and support survivors now more than ever before. Remind survivors that they are not alone.
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Treat everyone with respect. This goes without saying. In order to build a more equitable and just society, we must start from the ground up. Treat everyone with respect in how you talk, how you interact, and how you treat them as a person. It’s going to take more than 51% of the population to change this culture.
Vote. Just freaking do it. It’s simple. It’s your civic duty. And now, more than ever, it has the possibility to change some of the leadership to support women in ways that the current administration has proven it doesn’t care for. Go to TurboVote to check your registration and stay in the know with upcoming deadlines and election dates.
While Dr. Ford’s story and bravery is compelling and moving, it calls for something more than a reaction of support; it calls for action. Now, it is on everyone as American citizens to speak out against injustice when it happens, support survivors, and be sure that people who take advantage of others in any way are not permitted to advance in their careers using the same tactics, let alone sit on the highest court in the land.
Picture Courtesy of JacobTheJournalist.blogspot.com