1,600 Men Support Christine Ford In New York Times Ad That Replicates A 1991 Ad In Support Of Anita Hill’s Sexual Assault Case

27 years after Anita Hill shared her story of sexual harassment she suffered while working for Judge Clarence Thomas, the #NewYorkTimes releases the same front cover ad in support of Christine Ford, who is set to testify against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh this week. In 1991, the Times and had names of 1,600 black women who supported Hill’s stance on sexual harassment. Today, the Times ad has the names of 1,600 men who support Ford in the same manner. 

The ad was organized by a feminist advocacy group called the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign and they took to the internet for funding over the weekend. A note on the ad states, “On November 17, 1991, 1,600 black women joined together and placed a full-page ad in the New York Times to support Professor Anita Hill when she faced backlash for accusing Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment … Today we follow in the footsteps of those courageous women. As men who are allies in the fight to end violence and harassment against women and girls, we write to express our full support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford … we believe survivors and we call on all men of good will to stand with us.”

As previously reported, Christine Ford is accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when she was 15 and he was 17. Despite the backlash she received from #DonaldTrump, her story has catapulted the #MeToo movement and as brought the courage out of many other sexual assault victims. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

According to The Guardian, the ad is identical to the 1991 ad, with the names of the signatories listed in small print around the central panel with the main message. The message pleads for a change in the culture stating, “For decades, a culture of misogyny has allowed men to act with impunity and without consequence. We demand an end to that culture and we pledge to do our part in dismantling it.”

Ford’s attorneys have sent the judiciary committee sworn and signed declarations from four other people who corroborate her sexual assault claims by Kavanaugh. Anita Hill, who is now 62, spoke of the Ford case and said the Kavanaugh hearing, especially with no #FBI investigation or witness testimony, is destined to be unfair, just like many others felt the Thomas hearing was, in an interview she did with the Associated Press. However, she does feel optimistic about the changes in society and the #MeToo movement’s influence.

“A lot is different now. Remember, #MeToo is about raising awareness. Just because the Senate’s awareness hasn’t been raised, doesn’t mean that the rest of us haven’t evolved and learned.”