In the midst of Brett Kavanaugh's controversial supreme court confirmation hearing in Oct. 2018, Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona made a scheduled appearance at an annual Forbes conference event in Boston MA. At the time Sen. Flake was one of only a few republicans in the senate who expressed any ambivalence about confirming Kavanaugh to the highest court in the land despite allegations of sexual misconduct. His vote could decide Kavanaugh's fate.
As the Senator's appearance in Boston approached, students at Emerson College organized a rally to call for Sen. Flake to acknowledge Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford's allegations and vote against Kavanaugh's confirmation, effectively denying his nomination. The rally drew attention from major local and national political figures. Ayanna Presley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mayor Marty Walsh along with the Emerson organizers spoke in front of a raucous crowd directly outside the event.
At the time, it was unknown whether Sen. Flake would vote to confirm Kavanaugh to the bench. He was subject to intense courting by both sides of the aisle. Inside the event, his appearance quickly turned toward the subject of the confirmation and the venue projected images of Sen. Flake in Washington D.C. amidst the high profile hearings. Silent protestors inside the event stood during Sen. Flake's appearance and held signs displaying Dr. Blasey-Ford's name along with names of other survivors of sexual assault.
