"Why suffer through the annihilation if it's not going to matter?" Christine Blasey Ford told The Washington Post after coming forward as the woman who Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh allegedly assaulted when they were both in high school. This is the question countless people are addressing on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #DearIvanka.
Earlier this week, news broke that Ivanka Trump, a self-proclaimed feminist and champion of women’s rights, had advised her father to drop Kavanaugh as a nominee, but she hasn’t spoken about it publicly. Now, knowing where she stands, women want that to change. They’re using the hashtag to plead with her to support Ford by denouncing Kavanaugh and demanding a fair and informed FBI investigation into the allegations. The White House has the power to request an investigation, and as the daughter of and official adviser to the president, it is in both her personal and professional capacity to weigh in. Backing off from supporting a nominee and demanding a fair investigation are not exactly the same thing, and women want Ivanka to make it clear where she stands.
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The #DearIvanka hashtag has been used in the past in the hopes that the president’s daughter would use her influence to support women and families. In August, the hashtag trended as hundreds pleaded with her to speak out against the effects of her father's family separation policy.
Ever since coming forward, Ford has faced death threats and has not felt safe returning to her family home, reports CNN. She’s pushed through an impasse: identifying herself will and has already upended her life even though it may have no effect on Kavanaugh’s confirmation, but remaining silent would assure that his chances of taking on a role that will affect policies for years to come would be uncontested.
A public hearing from both Kavanaugh and Ford is currently scheduled for September 24. As a single accuser of an influential man, Ford already faces a power imbalance. Demanding a “full, fair, and trauma-informed investigation” gives her a better chance of not only being heard but being believed.
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