Dear Dr. William,
I’m really excited to send you this message! Now, I know what you’re thinking. Normally when I say that, I inevitably follow with something like, ‘Please click here to donate today,’ but not this time.
Today I actually mean it.
It’s not that we don’t genuinely need the help of our phenomenal grassroots donors, we do. But after spending two years talking about what I planned to do if elected, it’s an incredible feeling to finally get you up to speed on what we’ve gotten done.
Last Thursday, I offered an amendment to the 2010 Defense Appropriations Bill that would stop funding defending defense contractors who deny victims of sexual assault their day in court. My efforts were inspired by Jamie Leigh Jones, whose story is a chilling call-to-action, and whose actions to right this wrong a stunning profile in courage.
When Jamie was 19, she was working for then Halliburton subsidiary KBR in Iraq, where she was placed in a barracks with 400 men. She complained about sexual harassment, but KBR took no action and she was eventually drugged and gang-raped by co-workers. When she tried to report what had happened, KBR locked her in a shipping container under armed guard. One of her guards smuggled her a cell phone, which she used to call her dad. Her dad and her Congressman got her back to the States.
Once Jamie was back with her family, she discovered that the fine print in her contract with KBR prevented her from taking her case to court. Since then, she’s been retelling her story around the country, fighting on behalf of victims of sexual violence.
Yesterday, by a vote of 68-30, the United States adopted the Jamie Leigh Jones Amendment, ensuring that employers cannot unfairly force victims of sexual assault into arbitration. While Jamie’s fight is not over, from now on victims will have a better shot at seeking something that far too often eludes them: justice.
I was honored and humbled to play a small role in seeing this amendment passed, and am so pleased to let you know that while Minnesota, and the country, face serious challenges, we’re making some progress on standing up for those who have previously been without a voice in Washington.
Thanks so much for your support, I’ll be sending more updates soon.
All the best,
Al Franken