‘Doing My Duty as Citizen’: Christine Blasey Ford Accepts ACLU Courage Award
Mary Margaret Olohan /
Christine Blasey Ford accepted an award for courage Sunday night from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU honored Ford, who accused Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assaulting her when they were teens, by giving her the Rodger Baldwin Courage Award at the ACLU of Southern California’s Bill of Rights Awards Dinner. Ford works as a professor of psychology at Palo Alto University, according to HuffPost.
“When I came forward last September, I did not feel courageous,” Ford said in accepting the award.
“I was simply doing my duty as a citizen, providing information to the Senate that I believed would be relevant to the Supreme Court nomination process,” she said. “I thought anyone in my position would, of course, do the same thing.”
The ACLU of Southern California is proud to present the Roger Baldwin Courage award to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for her brave testimony before Congress last year, a shining act of courage. #ACLUhonors #WeBelieveSurvivors pic.twitter.com/8MmUXpdmrB
— ACLU SoCal (@ACLU_SoCal) November 18, 2019
Ford said she was inspired by Anita Hill, Clarence Thomas’ accuser in 1991, and by values her parents instilled in her growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
“I had a responsibility to my country, to my fellow citizens, to my students, to my children, to live the values that I try to teach them,” Ford told the audience.
She also said her testimony inspired 20,000 women across the country to send her messages about their sexual assault experiences.
“That’s why it means so much to me to be recognized by you tonight,” Ford told the audience. “Because I know you will continue the work of protecting sexual assault survivors and preventing sexual assault. You will continue the work to protect personal privacy and the rights of citizens.”
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of this original content, email [email protected].