On Monday, A Better Balance was proud to join partners at the NYC Stands with Survivors rally at City Hall. Some of the most powerful moments at the rally came from survivors bravely sharing their personal stories and the crowd responding, “We see you. We hear you. We believe you.” We attended along with around 40 partner organizations to show our support for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez, who have accused U. S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and for all survivors of sexual assault.
ABB has previously highlighted Judge Kavanaugh’s troubling judicial record and the negative impact that his presence on the Supreme Court could have on women, low-wage workers, and other vulnerable groups. These recent allegations of sexual assault raise new and urgent concerns about his nomination. The goal of Monday’s event was to center the voices of survivors in the national conversation over how to respond to these allegations and to the problem of sexual harassment and assault more broadly.
Speakers also highlighted recent efforts at the city and state levels to combat sexual harassment and assault, including the NYC Stop Sexual Harassment in the Workplace Act and New York State legislation combatting sexual harassment in the workplace, both passed earlier this year. A Better Balance worked closely on these measures and is committed to working on and continuing to support our partners in New York and nationwide in addressing sexual harassment and sexual violence, particularly as it impacts vulnerable workers.
In the days since this rally, allegations against Judge Kavanaugh by a third woman, Julie Swetnick, and Dr. Blasey Ford’s courageous testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee have further underscored the urgency of this work. As Michelle Greer of Girls for Gender Equality told the crowd present at City Hall, “It is time to mirror the courage of these individual survivors with institutional courage to actually create change.”
