December 12, 2018

Christine Blasey Ford Honors the First Gymnast to Speak Out Against Larry Nassar

“You galvanized future generations to come forward, even when the odds are seemingly stacked against them.”

Saul Loeb/AP

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Christine Blasey Ford made one of her first public appearances since she testified against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his confirmation hearings to present the Inspiration of the Year award to former gymnast Rachael Denhollander at Sports Illustrated‘s Sportsperson of the Year awards Tuesday.

Denhollander was being recognized for her bravery as the first woman to publicly accuse former Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar of sexual assault.

Blasey Ford has been receiving death threats in the months since she accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, and consequently hasn’t been able to return to work; she spoke at the awards ceremony via video.

“In stepping forward, you took a huge risk, and you galvanized future generations to come forward even when the odds are seemingly stacked against them,” Blasey Ford said to Denhollander. “The lasting lesson is that we all have the power to create real change.”

Watch the video here:

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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