I’m a survivor. And today is treacherous for too many of us. Reliving personal trauma, let alone vulnerably revisiting one’s long oppressed pain on the international stage, seeing it viciously politicized, being forced to defend oneself as if the perpetrator of a crime rather than a terrified victim, and having your character, morality, credibility and grasp on reality questioned is a horror I wouldn’t wish on any soul.
Dr. Ford, we believe you — and honor your strength and bravery.
Fellow survivors, I believe you — and know too many of us still remain silent in fear. Young women and men, we are working tirelessly to change the paradigm and fight fiercely for justice — to stop the dangerous epidemic and widespread societal acceptance of sexual violence.
May today’s hearing be another positive step on that quest. May we all feel safe with our bodies, truths, emotions and lives. And may James Baldwin’s words ring true: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”