Dr. Christine Blasey Ford on Wednesday was honored by YWCA Silicon Valley as a 2019 Empowerment Award recipient.
Blasey Ford received the honor during the organization's Inspire Luncheon event held at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Labor leader and civil rights activist Dolores Huerta will also be recognized. NBC Bay Area's Today in the Bay anchor Laura Garcia served as master of ceremonies.
The YWCA Empowerment Award celebrates and honors women in the community who are advocates and ambassadors of change.
"These women are champions – strong, resilient and dedicated to sharing their journey so that other women will become empowered to do the same," YWCA's website said of award recipients.
Blasey Ford in 2018 testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about her allegation that Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a high school party more than 35 years ago.
The Palo Alto professor was also listed in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2019.
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Presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California) honored Blasey Ford in the magazine and called her an "icon," saying her story "shook Washington and the country."
"Her courage, in the face of those who wished to silence her, galvanized Americans. And her unfathomable sacrifice, out of a sense of civic duty, shined a spotlight on the way we treat survivors of sexual violence," Harris wrote.
Kavanaugh, now a Supreme Court justice, has denied all sexual misconduct allegations against him. His confirmation hearing pitched Blasey Ford's word against his and nearly prevented his confirmation to the high court.
