Black Americans celebrate Ketanji Brown Jackson's historic confirmation to Supreme Court
Black Americans around the country on Thursday celebrated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Senate voted 53-47 to confirm Jackson, who will become the Supreme Court’s 116th justice and the first Black woman ever to sit on the bench.
Vice President Kamala Harris — the nation’s first woman, Black person and first Asian American to hold that office — presided over the historic vote.
"I am feeling overjoyed," Harris told reporters afterward. "And I am feeling a deep sense of pride in who we are as a nation.
"I think it makes a very important statement about who we aspire to be," she added. "On our highest court in the land, we want to make sure that there's going to be full representation of the finest and brightest and best. And that's what happened today.”
"I was so moved to see Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed this afternoon," former first lady Michelle Obama wrote on Instagram. "Like so many of you, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride — a sense of joy — to know that this deserving, accomplished Black woman will help chart our nation’s course.
“So many women of color now have a new role model to look up to as she serves on the highest court of the land,” Obama added. “Thank you, Justice Jackson, for giving Black girls and women everywhere — including my daughters — a new dream to dream, a new path to forge, and a future we can all be hopeful for."
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who brought Jackson to tears with an impassioned speech during her confirmation hearings, cried Thursday while reflecting on the significance of the moment.
"There is a lot of hurt in this world, there is a lot of private pain and personal injury, and we live in a nation with acres of land that has been watered with tears and sadness," Booker said in a video message posted to social media after the confirmation vote. "But today is a mountain of joy. Today is a day for celebration. Today I rejoice. I cry tears of joy. And I just want to thank God and thank this extraordinary woman for persevering through all of life’s challenges.
"We as a nation rise and rise with her," he added.
When Jackson does take her seat, it will also be the first time in U.S. history that white men won’t be the majority on the Supreme Court. The court will have four white male justices, one Black male justice and four female justices, including Jackson.
“So many children and generations to come will never know a Supreme Court without a Black woman,” said Keenan Austin Reed, co-founder of the Black Women's Congressional Alliance. “I am excited about all the students who will now go to law school because of her and for all the brown babies that will be named Ketanji. Judge Jackson's story is a story of perseverance, and I could not be more inspired or proud."
Black women described Jackson’s confirmation as especially monumental.
“Today marks an important new chapter for America's highest court — one that includes a Black woman," said Dr. Deborah Turner, board president of the League of Women Voters. “Without a doubt, Judge Jackson’s appointment is a historic confirmation."
"For me as Black woman, as a mother, I cannot tell you the unbelievable amount of joy to watch somebody finally honored and respected," CNN legal analyst Laura Coates said on the air. "And given the due respect for the composure, and for her mind, for her dignity, for her professionalism.
"Black women don't just have a glass ceiling," she added. "They live in a glass cube."
