Brett Kavanaugh’s appointment to the Supreme Court is sparking outcries from across the nation, especially on college campuses like UW-Madison where students took the opportunity to rally around those affected by sexual assault.
“UW-Madison students are out today to protest the supreme court nomination of Judge Kavanaugh. The walkout began at Library Mall and protestors marched up Langdon Street to arrive at the Capitol where we are now,” said reporter Megan Janssen.
But opposing Kavanaugh wasn’t the only thing UW-Madison students were marching for last Thursday. They also wanted to show their support for all survivors of sexual violence.
“I hope that women can really feel some solidarity and know that their community stands with them and that the Madison community supports them, believes them, validates them and that all survivors are valid,” said Claire VanValkenburg, protest organizer.
Speakers from the community inspired the crowd and encouraged them to keep fighting.
“This is all of our fight. We all have a stake in it, and solidarity is the answer. To the survivors here today, we believe you, and you never have to walk alone,” said Sylvia Johnson, protest organizer.
Students like Katherine O’Brien believe marches are a great start but there needs to be more daily engagement to ensure all survivors feel safe.
“Most of us don’t take times out of our days to advocate for these issues and that’s what’s really important so what I would like to see is a lot more involvement outside of class engaging with these issues on a political level,” said Katherine O’Brien student protestor.