By Amy Byres / NM News Port /
Sexual assault survivors and other supporters gathered in Albuquerque’s Civic Plaza Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, to show solidarity with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford after her testimony this week against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Organized by New Mexico Women’s March 2018, the open mic rally invited women and men to share their stories, sometimes bringing people to tears.
“I am supporting Dr. Ford, and I am supporting all women and men who have been assaulted or raped,” said rape survivor Francisca Cangialosi, now a therapist who counsels other survivors.
Cangialosi said she spoke to bring attention to why women don’t always report sexual abuse.
“I said in my story that the reason why I didn’t say anything was because he raped me in my home… and I had two small children and I was alone and I feared he would come back,” Cangialosi said.
She also cited the shame and guilt she felt. “You might of invited the person into your house, but you did not invite the behavior,” Cangialosi said.
The crowd called for the resignation of Kavanaugh’s current judgeship and nomination and shouted, “get them out!” referring to the Republicans who hold the majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
“I am here because I am tired of the least among us representing us,” self-described feminist Angela Rough said.
Rough spoke about how she bore witness to the rape of a young girl at a party when she was 16-years-old. Shortly after arriving to the party she noticed a bunch of boys lining up at a door she said.
“They were standing in line waiting to have sex with this girl,” Rough said. ”My friend and I pushed passed them, upstairs and open the door, and the boy that was in there had just finished and we told him to get out, and we were not that nice about it, and she was passed out.”
Rough said she and her friend woke the girl up and got her home.
“She was pretty quiet all the way home and then she started crying when we got there because she didn’t want her brother to know what had happened,” Rough said.
Rough said she believes the women who have accused Kavanaugh and if he had any “decency” he would resign.
Another speaker, Margarita Mercure Hibbs is a co-founder of Our Revolution New Mexico and Frack Free New Mexico She said every time she would hear a politician say Kavanaugh’s reputation and life are being ruined, she would ask what about Dr. Ford’s life.
“We still live in a society where men are valued more than women,” Hibbs said.
The protest ended in song lead by the Music Director at First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque, Susan Peck.
“I think it is important for people to join their voices together,” Peck said. “I think if we can also raise our voices in harmony it helps us work together with heart and spirit.”
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Audio Bonus: Hear Susan Peck singing to end of the rally for support of Dr. Ford at Civic Plaza in ABQ, on Friday, Sept. 29, 2018.
Contact Amy Byres on her twitter @amybyres12.
Hi, I’m the (first-ever) Professor of Practice in Journalism at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. So I’m very involved in helping students learn multimedia journalism. Before New Mexico, I was the 2012-2013 Reynolds Chair in Ethics of Entrepreneurial and Innovative Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno… and, before that, a 2011 Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University. I’m also very active as a consultant, having spent over 25 years as a news director. My website is http://www.mikemarcotte.com or on Twitter: http://twitter.com/michvinmar
