Anger and change

Last week, Christine Blasey Ford testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, recounting her high school experiences with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Ford appeared confident and composed, and yet I felt physically ill and emotionally exhausted listening to her speak. Angry, too.

It’s been a year since sexual assault allegations drove Harvey Weinstein out of Hollywood and ushered in a wave of similar accusations. Countless have stepped forth to share similar accounts. And yet here we are again: #MeToo, #TimesUp, #WhyIDidn’tReport. We shouldn’t have to repeatedly trot out our traumas to educate society. But we do. We tell you of the assaults, harassments and misconduct, the domestic violence and the mental abuses.

Last week’s hearing, however, made it clear that some in power— the Lindsey Grahams, Chuck Grassleys and Donald Trumps of the world—refuse to listen. Certainly, if they wanted true due process they would have called for an FBI investigation before Ford testified—not after.

To get at the root of why some feel entitled to sexually assault or harass women, we must get at the root of how some men treat women every day—at home, in the workplace, in social situations, etc. The problem isn’t rooted in sex, of course, it’s rooted in the kind of power that promotes and elevates the Brett Kavanaughs of the world. Every woman, including myself, could write a book on experiences with this—the harassment and assaults, but also the times we were talked over, talked down to, ignored, laughed at, huffed at, finger-wagged at and raged at.

Believe women. Believe us.

I believe Christine Blasey Ford. Whatever the outcome, one thing’s certain: We’re angry and we’re taking action. We’re speaking up and confronting you in elevators. We’re running for office and running campaigns. We’re mad as hell and we’re voting. November is almost here. Change is coming.