Ahead of Thursday testimony, Bostonians attend vigil for Christine Blasey Ford

Nearly 200 people gathered outside of Boston City Hall on Monday night to participate in a vigil in support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Several Tufts students were in attendance.

The crowd consisted of sexual assault survivors, women’s rights advocates, students and organizers, all of whom were invited to contribute to the open-mic style dialogue that served as the format for the event. Men and women alike shared stories of sexual assault within their own lives and offered up support to Ford and all sexual assault survivors who wish to seek justice.

“I think demonstrations like this serve to help raise awareness for survivors,” Marley Hillman, a sophomore who attended the Monday night vigil, said. “We just need this to get us to the midterms.”

The vigil follows on the heels of an intensifying national debate surrounding Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings. In mid-September, Fordaccused President Donald Trump’s nominee of sexually assaulting her at a high school party in the early 1980s. After multiple days of uncertainty surrounding Ford's willingness to testify, and negotiations over terms, Ford is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee tomorrow.

Vigil attendees also spoke to a system that forces sexual assault survivors to feel shame and guilt in order to seek justice. With references to the 1991 case of Anita Hill and then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, in which Hill's allegations against Thomas were treated skeptically by the Senate Judiciary Committee, vigil co-organizer Delia Harrington voiced a desire for change.

“I think it’s pretty clear what happened with Anita Hill,” Harrington said, alleging that not all evidence was allowed to be presented. "The only silver lining is that we can learn from our mistakes. The real heartbreak would be if we let it happen again.”

Monday's vigil came to be in a matter of a week, according to Harrington and co-organizer Victoria Bilcik. They spread the message as quickly as they could via Facebook and through word of mouth with the help of  Boston Socialist Alternative, Food for Activists, Boston Area Crisis Center and other area non-profits and political organizations, according to Harrington.

While sexual assault was the main topic of discussion, several members of the audience were present to protest for additional reasons.

"Expect Roe v. Wade to be gutted and overhauled if Kavanaugh is confirmed," Kate Froehlich, membership and organizing manager for NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, said. "This will be a disaster for women’s and minority rights throughout the nation."

Several student organizations on campus have weighed in on the Supreme Court nomination, Kavanaugh, sexual assault allegations and the validity of the confirmation process.

Tufts Democrats co-President Cecelia Rodriguez told the Daily in an electronic message that the organization stands by all women who have come forward against Kavanaugh in recent days. Rodriguez criticized Senate Republicans for their handling of the allegations.

"The Republican Party continues to show its true colors by attempting to discredit survivors," Rodriguez said. "This proves that for all our dialogue about times changing for women since the confirmation of Clarence Thomas, the party that confirmed him remains steadfastly unchanged in its view of women in the personal and political realms.

Tufts Republicans declined to comment on the matter.

Tufts' chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) declined to endorse or condemn Kavanaugh's nomination, in line with ACLU's national policy barring political endorsements. However, Madison Beke-Somers, the group's co-leader, emphasized that allegations of sexual assault should be taken seriously.

“We believe allegations of sexual assault need to be given fair and serious consideration, and that the case of [Ford] needs to be investigated properly over an appropriate period of time," Beske-Somers, a sophomore, said. “We wholeheartedly support the right of students to protest Kavanaugh, and any other government appointment, and to peacefully demonstrate in support of [Ford]."

Aside from their opposition to the Supreme Court nominee, vigil attendees spoke more generally about the need to say, “I believe you,” to survivors of sexual assault.

“Let’s keep telling our stories,” Jaclyn Friedman, a writer and activist, told attendees. “But let’s start making demands too [because] #MeToo isn’t a movement; it’s a moment in a centuries long battle to end sexual assault.”