Today, Christine Blasey Ford is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, answering questions and relaying details about the night she says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in high school. Just a few minutes in her written statement, the internet was already shaken.
Christine Blasey Ford, her voice shaking, makes her opening remarks: " I am here today not because I want to be. I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school." pic.twitter.com/xksviiTnyj
— David Mack (@davidmackau) September 27, 2018
“I am here today not because I want to be,” she began after introducing herself. “I am terrified. I am here because I believe it is my civic duty to tell you what happened to me while Brett Kavanaugh and I were in high school.”
Many on Twitter have commented on Ford’s voice, cracking in that opening statement and as she recalled the events of the night she says Kavanaugh attempted to rape her. Women across the internet immediately said they were in tears.
there is an extraordinary juxtaposition here between Dr. Ford the accomplished scientist and grown woman she has become and the shaky voice of the 15yo she was when this happened, both present in this testimony
— Susan Glasser (@sbg1) September 27, 2018
I can't imagine how many thousands of women, around the world, are in tears as they listen to Christine Blasey Ford's voice cracking.
— Margaret Sullivan (@Sulliview) September 27, 2018
I’m already crying and we’re seconds in. You hear Dr. Ford’s voice shaking. #KavanaughHearings
— Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) September 27, 2018
"I believed he was going to rape me," says Ford, her voice shaking. pic.twitter.com/DRYNjUdoYl
— Christina Wilkie (@christinawilkie) September 27, 2018
Dr. Ford's voice shaking as she tries to get through this. The bravery this takes. I cannot imagine. I believe you, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) September 27, 2018
It’s funny how the mundane can become memorable. The San Fernando Road off-ramp on the 2 Freeway, of all places, will be seared in my memory as the place I first heard Christine Blasey Ford’s shaking voice coming out of the radio.
— Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) September 27, 2018
Women everywhere are listening to Christine Blasey Ford's voice cracking and feeling their own hearts break, just a little bit more, at the world we’ve all inherited.
— Sheera Frenkel (@sheeraf) September 27, 2018
Parts of her retelling of her attempted rape, too, have touched viewers and listeners of her testimony. In particular, many have pointed out her “most vivid memory” of the event, being the “uproarious laughter” between Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge, who Ford says was in the room when Kavanaugh attempted to take her clothes off.
Q: What is your most vivid memory of the incident?
— Jennifer Bendery (@jbendery) September 27, 2018
"The laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two," Ford says, her voice cracking. "And their having fun at my expense." pic.twitter.com/1Omcb1KHmg
What Dr. Christine Blasey Ford says is her indelible memory of her alleged assault —
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) September 27, 2018
"the uproarious laughter." "They're having fun at my expense," she says, her voice cracking.
What Dr. Christine Blasey Ford says is her indelible memory of her alleged assault —
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) September 27, 2018
"the uproarious laughter." "They're having fun at my expense," she says, her voice cracking.
Others have pointed out the ways in which Ford has attempted to be cordial and flexible with the committee, showcasing how even someone as forthcoming as Ford is attempting to appease the committee’s demands amid reliving her own trauma.
learning how to publicly recount your life-altering trauma also means learning how to make other people feel comfortable while hearing about your life-altering trauma https://t.co/WAkFIkE1UA
— Emma Carmichael (@emmacargo) September 27, 2018
https://twitter.com/itsa_talia/status/1045335570992558081
https://twitter.com/CharlotteAlter/status/1045329640565493767
While Ford has had to recall her experience and relive her trauma publicly, by herself, it is clear she is not alone.
If you are a victim of sexual assault or want more information on sexual assault, contact the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).