Nobody wants to face the world alone, and nobody should have to.

That was the message from Fresno State students, faculty and staff who came together in a show of solidarity for survivors of sexual assault. They wore black and carried signs of support in a demonstration on campus Monday.

As part of a national walkout in support of survivors of sexual assault such as Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who is accusing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct when they were in high school, the Fresno State students flashed signs with statements like “Dr. Ford…We Got Your Back” and “#BelieveSurvivors” in the quad near the College of Social Sciences Building.

Ford, a professor at Palo Alto University, entered the national spotlight on Sept. 16, when she alleged that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a party in high school. Two more women have since come forward with similar allegations since Ford opened up.

What some see as a partisan struggle to name a new justice to the Supreme Court has helped unearth a larger underlying concern about sexual misconduct, its survivors and their place in American culture.

While conservatives, including President Donald Trump, are tending to refute Ford’s claims as left-wing propaganda intended to attack Kavanaugh’s character and liberals champion her story as heroism in the face of patriarchal authority, the general public is left to speculate about the events of a night 36 years ago.

The Senate Judiciary Committee tasked with hearing testimony from both Ford and Kavanaugh on Thursday will face a similar dilemma — assigning credibility to one party or the other based solely on the statements each person presents.

Regardless of the committee’s decision, the series of events leading to the testimony have sparked a national movement. It sure has at Fresno State.