Parenting

Parents Celebrate Ketanji Jackson's Supreme Court Nomination

by Lauren Levy
UNITED STATES - APRIL 28: Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit, testifies during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, April 28, 2021. Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Seventh Circuit, also testified. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/POOL)

As the first Black woman to potentially sit on the Supreme Court, Judge Jackson’s nomination is monumental for parents of color — and their children who are watching

With a simple tweet from the President of the United States, Feb. 25, 2022, instantly became a historic day — both for the Supreme Court as well as for parents and children across the country.

That’s because President Joe Biden announced he is nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, which would make her the first Black woman in the nation’s history to be on the highest court. Let that sink in.

If confirmed, this federal appeals court judge will be the first Black woman ever on the U.S. Supreme Court. As CNN contributor and girl dad Steve Vladeck pointed out on Twitter, this 51 year-old wife, mother of two girls, and daughter of two public school teachers and administrators, is historic for multiple reasons.

“If confirmed, Judge Jackson will be the 116th Justice in #SCOTUS’s history; the eighth who is not a white man; the sixth woman; and — least importantly — the third Justice Jackson,” he wrote.

For parents of BIPOC children, this moment is not just for the history books. Representation matters and Jackson’s nomination shows Black girls especially that they can grow up to be anything they want to be. To have Judge Jackson as another woman of color in government is worth celebrating.

Former president Barack Obama posted on Twitter just after Biden shared his announcement, writing, “Judge Jackson has already inspired young Black women like my daughters to set their sights higher, and her confirmation will help them believe they can be anything they want to be,” he wrote.

Other thrilled parents across the country also chimed in on Twitter, sharing their own excitement and the impact this news has on their families.

For the thousands of young girls learning about her nomination and hopefully eventually watching her confirmation, Judge Jackson’s rise to the Supreme Court is a moment not just for young women, but for all children of color and an important reinforcement that their dreams are possible.

Jackson isn’t just inspiring little girls (and boys), she’s a mother of two daughters, Talia and Leila. “President Biden sought a candidate with exceptional credentials, unimpeachable character and unwavering dedication to the rule of law,” the White house said, according to CNN. But the diversity in her upbringing and experience as both a mother and woman of color, brings an important voice to the table — that has been long overdue.