Following the 50-48 confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, high profile media pundits and politicians have offered valuable words of encouragement about the future of the country.
Kavanaugh's contentious nomination highlighted the ongoing struggle for survivors of sexual assault to be heard in the era of the Me Too movement. Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker, who were involved in the hearings leading up to the confirmation, told their bases not to give up hope:
My message to sexual assault survivors: Thank you for your courage. Your voices have mattered. pic.twitter.com/nOwUEklBW8
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 6, 2018
Right, forever vigilant
Is always stronger than
Wrong, temporarily victorious.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 6, 2018
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay shared her recent encounter with three people following the confirmation. In her thread of tweets, she illustrated the pain and emotional exhaustion plaguing Democrats.
I’ve been on a plane all morning. Just landed. Trying to make it home. Feel like I want to scream. And rage. And cry. I usually slip in and out of airports easily. Today, 3 different people come up to me – and gave me fuel. This just happened. First was a white man. Early 30s…
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 6, 2018
Both reaching for our bags in the overhead he said: “I’m not usually this guy, but please keep doing what you do. We need to hear voices like yours. And I need to listen.” I could feel his heart. Grappling with the moment in his own skin. We spoke for a bit and then deplaned.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 6, 2018
The second person was Latina. I’m walking through the terminal. She was young. Early 20s. She just walked right in front of me. And stopped. With tears in her eyes. All I could do was hug her and try to hold in my own. She just whispered thank you. I thanked her too. We parted.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 6, 2018
Last was a white woman with an accent from somewhere far away. Early 40s. She said I’m sorry to disturb you on a day like this. I said something I’ve never said to a stranger. I said: I want to cry. She looked back at me and said: “Me too.” Our eyes both welled up. And we did.
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) October 6, 2018
Actress Gabrielle Union encouraged protesters to continue fighting:
There will be no rest, no peace for the wicked. None. Absolutely not.
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) October 6, 2018
Journalist Soledad O'Brien recommended those emotionally drained look at the civil rights activists of yesteryear to find strength:
People—If you want to learn about strength and courage in the face of indifference and injustice, I encourage you to study the men and women of the Civil Rights movement. Their fight was long, life-threatening, dehumanizing and constantly disheartening. And yet they perservered. https://t.co/xpswZJtCME
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) October 6, 2018
While news commentators and writers Astead Wesley and Vann Newkirk called out the racial politics at play:
Kavanaugh will be the 114th Supreme Court justice in US History.
108 have been white men.
Four have been women.
Three have been nonwhite.
Only one has been a woman of color, which is now less than the amount of men who have been confirmed amid sexual misconduct allegations
— Astead (@AsteadWesley) October 6, 2018
A movement that describes itself as predicated on protecting the lives of the unborn claims today as a watershed moment, yet the country is in the middle of an infant and maternal mortality crisis, with black women and infants most imperiled.
— Dad (@fivefifths) October 7, 2018
Now, check these out:
Melania Trump Rocks A Colonial Fit And Says Kavanaugh Is 'Highly Qualified' During Solo Africa Tour
There’s Power In Numbers: How NextGen America Is Encouraging Millennials To Tap Into Their Voting Power
Black Lives Rising: Why The Black Vote Is Important For The 2018 Midterm Elections
