Earlier this month, the United States made history with the confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first African American woman to serve on the Supreme Court – a victory for us as a country and an especially sweet victory for all the little brown girls who can now see themselves in Judge Jackson and realize what’s possible.
I was moved to tears when Senator Corey Booker emotionally addressed Judge Jackson and told her that she had “earned this spot, that she is worthy – and that nobody was going to steal his joy.” And that’s exactly how I felt watching her being sworn in – joyful and filled with pride!
Judge Jackson has shared that her parents taught her that unlike the many barriers they had to face growing up, her path was clearer, and if she worked hard and believed in herself – in America – she could do anything or be anything she wanted to be.
That’s not to say she didn’t face barriers along the way – such as one guidance counselor who told her not to set her sights so high when she shared a desire to attend Harvard. This did not stop Judge Jackson from pursuing what she wanted to be, and could be. She not only graduated with honors from Harvard University, she went on to earn her law degree from Harvard Law School and serve as an editor of the Harvard Law Review!
After being a judge for nearly a decade, Judge Jackson has now moved into a position that will afford her an opportunity to lead the country in the direction of what it could be. She recently referenced a statement from Justice Stephen Breyer who said at his own Supreme Court confirmation, “What is [law] supposed to do, seen as a whole? What it’s supposed to do seen as a whole is allow all people, all people, to live together in a society where they have so many different views, so many different needs, but to live together in a way that is more harmonious, that is better so that they can work productively together.”
The confirmation of Judge Brown takes us one step closer to honoring Justice Breyer’s words. And while there is still so much more to do, so many more fights to fight, and so many more barriers to break, I too am hopeful and just like Senator Booker, nobody is going to steal my joy!