Christine Blasey Ford honors Anita Hill and Colin Kaepernick in ACLU courage award acceptance speech

She claimed in her speech on Sunday that her decision to speak out was her “duty,” but noted that she did not expect to receive as much backlash as she did.

“When I came forward last September, I did not feel courageous. I was simply doing my duty as a citizen,” she said, later adding, “I was not prepared for the venom, the persistent attacks. I was not prepared to be physically threatened and forced out of my home.”

Blasey Ford’s presence at the award show was not publicly announced by the ACLU beforehand, but her appearance was met with a standing ovation.

In her speech, she credited Hill, who accused Justice Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his confirmation process, and former NFL quarterback Kaepernick as two examples of courageous people who walked before her.

“I thought anyone in my position, of course, would do the same thing. I had the example of Anita Hill, the values instilled in me by my parents and growing up in Washington, D.C.,” she said. “I had a responsibility to my country, to my fellow citizens, to my students, to my children, to live the values that I try to teach them.”

She noted that Kaepernick had received the Roger Baldwin Courage Award two years before her, saying, “Two years ago, Colin Kaepernick at this event said, ‘We all have an obligation, no matter the risk and regardless of the reward to stand up for fellow men and women.’”

Blasey Ford attended the same high school as Kavanaugh. She went on to become a professor and research psychologist prior to coming forward against the judge.