I was 8 years old when Martin Luther King was shot and I remember that day in Seattle when I heard about it. A lot of people were greiving that loss and I did not know who Martin Luther King was at the time. At that time my best friend in school was named Cedric, a black American and we were very close and talked about that day and how it effected him and his parents more than my white parents and I. Soon after that I learned a lot more about Martin Luther King and the person he was and how he was a uniter rather then a divider. 54 years later and 53 votes, we have the first African American woman Supreme Court Justice in Ketanji Brown Jackson. Lot of questions come to mind about this day, why did it take this long, and why is the country so divided still on race issues. I feel better for our country knowing we have a court that reflects our nations make up rather than mostly white men as it did for many years, I don’t consider Uncle Thomas a good choice as he’s never stood up for his own race or been anything but partison in his decisions.
Now 54 years later the United States Senate confirmed the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court in a bipartisan 53-47 vote. Justice Jackson becomes the first Black woman ever to sit on the nation’s highest court.
In response to the confirming vote, Janai S. Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), issued the following statement:
“Congratulations to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and her family on her historic, bipartisan confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. Her exemplary credentials combined with her temperament and character made her one of the most qualified Supreme Court nominees in recent history. She will bring to the Court a much-needed perspective on the lived experiences of all Americans, especially those living in our most marginalized communities.
“Justice Jackson follows in the footsteps of former LDF attorney Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman to serve as a federal judge, and LDF founder Thurgood Marshall, the first Black person to ever serve as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court. As was the case with Judge Motley and Justice Marshall, Justice Jackson’s ascension to the Supreme Court should be a source of great pride and inspiration for our nation. It is an important step toward advancing full representation in our judiciary and racial justice in America.”
“All through the confirmation hearings—especially when I saw young Leila Jackson looking at her mom with such pride—I found myself thinking about parents. Particularly parents of Black children, particularly parents of Black girls—how, for them, Ketanji Brown Jackson is reason to celebrate. A thrilling new example—new living proof—of what is possible. A new chance to turn to their child and say, ‘You are possible.’” by Oprah Winfrey
Check out our design of a Ketanji Brown T-shirt
