In an attempt to draw a comparison between the accusations against Justice Clarence Thomas by Anita Hill and those against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh by Christine Blasey Ford, 1,600 men purchased a full-page advertisement in The New York Times proclaiming that they believe accusers.
“We believe Anita Hill. We also believe Christine Blasey Ford,” the advertisement says. The ad was crowdfunded and imitates a similar ad placed in the same newspaper in 1991 by 1,600 black women who supported Anita Hill, according to The Guardian.
A note accompanying the message reads: “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.”
The men describe themselves as “allies in the fight to end violence and harassment against women and girls,” and claim they “write to express our strong support of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford for her willingness to speak out publicly and testify before the Senate about the sexual assault hat she says was perpetrated against her by Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.”
The ad then encourages “all men of good will to stand with us to ensure that Dr. Blasey Ford’s story is carefully and fully examined without bias or prejudice,” despite claiming that they already believe the accusations.
On Thursday, both Ford and Kavanaugh are expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee, although on Tuesday Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) said she has “no way of knowing” if Ford will actually show up.