jennifer-roberts On Friday, February 25th, I was thrilled to hear President Joe Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson. My heart swelled with pride as I watched the CNN headline, “Biden Announces Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court.” I beamed at her beautiful brown skin, natural hair, warm smile, and impeccable credentials that make her more than qualified to serve as a Supreme Court justice. I loved watching myself and other women and girls’ presence normalized in mainstream America.
I was excited for many reasons, one being that in this case, the color of Mrs. Brown Jackson’s skin was not a barrier to her being nominated as a Supreme Court justice. In the court’s 221-year history, there have been countless other Black women who were qualified to serve but were not selected and I would be naïve to think that their skin color was not a factor. Skin color should not be a barrier to gaining access to opportunities, but it is.
Mrs. Brown Jackson, a Harvard trained lawyer and current federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, joins a special group of other Black firsts in America.
On January 20th, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first African American and Asian American vice president. On November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama defeated the Republican nominee, John McCain to become the nation’s first African American president-elect. Upon him taking office, his wife, Michelle Obama became the nation’s first African American first lady and their immediate family, which consisted of two young daughters (Sasha and Malia) became the country’s first African American first family.
I could list thousands more Black firsts in this country as there have been many. The pride that I feel when I hear the words “first black,” cannot be contained but my feelings are mixed because while being the first is historical, it also comes with a burden of undeserved pressure for every person who accepts the challenge. And it agitates me that 400 years after the first Africans, were forced to the shores of what would become the United States, Black people are still denied access into every positive opportunity that American offers.
When Barack Obama took office on January 20th, 2009, the world was watching. No one had never seen a Black man as president before and people all around the globe were interested in for varying reasons, in how he would fare. Some people prayed for his success while others calculated his demise. Some were visibly ecstatic that this brilliant man, who happened to be wrapped in brown skin, was leading our country, while others seethed at the idea that that a man with brown skin was now leading what they erroneously thought was “their” country.
President and First Lady Obama faced unfathomable scrutiny and danger from every possible angle. Critics examined every area of their political and personal lives and the Obamas lived under the most high-powered microscope for eight years. I am proud to say that they both survived the scorching spotlight beautifully leaving the White House and the American dream more accessible than ever before. Their legacy of excellence and love for community will positively impact generations to come.
Part of the undue scrutiny that the Obamas wrongfully endured came simply from the color of their skin. They both were accomplished in their own rights and were fit for the roles they were assuming but there was the unfair burden of politicians and the public judging them and their performance as Black people. And every success or misstep reflected on all Black people because of how we view the construct of race in America. There would be a collective pride in the Black community if the Obamas thrived and a collective grief if they failed. They weren’t free to simply do their very best for the country and learn from their inevitable mistakes. They weren’t free to make the natural errors that come with learning, growing, and taking risks at the highest level. The pressure to do their jobs and live their lives perfectly in an unforgiving and unyielding spotlight was unimaginable. But they thrived with swag, grace and style and I will forever be proud.
As Mrs. Ketanji Brown Jackson is thrust further into the spotlight of national public service on the Supreme Court, the world will be watching her. And as exciting as her nomination is, it comes with the weight of being the first. She is the example to which future Supreme Court Justices nominees who look like her will be compared. She is also the hope of so many qualified Black women who were denied the opportunity to serve as a Supreme Court justice because their skin had too much melanin or their name sounded too Black. She is the hope of so many brown women and girls whom she is inspiring. It is my hope and my prayer that Mrs. Brown Jackson will thrive not because she is Black but because she is qualified and that her first footsteps will widen the door of opportunity for every qualified brown woman who follows.
