Women Have a Message for Washington

Protests rocked Capitol Hill this week as women gathered from across the country in loud, impassioned opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, many spurred by their own experiences with sexual abuse.

There was a sense of urgency among them. They were going to be seen and heard no matter what.

Protesters marched around the Capitol to the steps of the Supreme Court, undeterred by the rain and cold. Some had posters that read, “We believe all survivors.” Others stood in silence outside the Dirksen Senate Office Building, with the words “Believe Women” written on their hands. A group roiled between Senate office buildings, fists raised, chanting “We believe her!” They were later arrested.

Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony resonated with many of those present. Women gathered in Senate offices sharing their personal stories, some for the first time. A woman wiped away tears in an overflow room where more than 100 people had gathered to watch Blasey’s opening testimony on television screens. Those that were not able to get in, like 17-year-old Ansley Huff and her parents, watched on their phones outsides.

In a year of reckoning, and with the midterm elections looming, Kavanaugh’s nomination is a critical test for a country grappling with the #MeToo movement against sexual violence.