Kamala Harris Says Christine Blasey Ford 'Risked Everything' For The Country
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) wrote a powerful tribute to Christine Blasey Ford, the professor who last year accused then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, for Time magazine’s issue honoring the 100 most influential people.
“Her courage, in the face of those who wished to silence her, galvanized Americans,” the presidential hopeful wrote of Ford in the issue published Wednesday. “And her unfathomable sacrifice, out of a sense of civic duty, shined a spotlight on the way we treat survivors of sexual violence.”
“Christine Blasey Ford’s ambition wasn’t to become a household name or make it onto this list,” Harris added. “She had a good life and a successful career ― and risked everything to send a warning in a moment of grave consequence.”
Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh in September of sexually assaulting her when they were both in high school. After her emotional testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee ― and an angry denial from Kavanaugh ― the Republican-led committee and the full Senate voted to install the judge to the Supreme Court for life.
The Palo Alto University professor received an onslaught of death threats and harassment for speaking up, and she and her family were forced to relocate for security purposes. But Ford said in November that she does not regret coming forward and telling her story.
“Although coming forward was terrifying, and caused disruption to our lives, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to fulfill my civic duty,” Ford wrote at the time.
Harris applauded Ford her for this commitment to civic duty.
“At her core, she is a teacher,” she wrote. “And through her courage, she forced the country to reckon with an issue that has too often been ignored and kept in the dark.”
Head over to Time to read more profiles from the magazine’s list.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
