UFE is proud to congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson!
The confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, is a historic event. Yesterday’s confirmation was a step in the right direction for our nation in our ongoing efforts to grapple with and overcome years of racist, sexist policy that has held back qualified candidates like Ketanji Jackson for decades. For generations Black women have been systemically blocked from opportunities like serving on the supreme court. Judge Jackson is also the first and only US Supreme Court justice that has experience serving as a public defender.
Many senate republicans voted against Ketanji Jackson’s confirmation, attempting to distract from and deny her experience and credibility. Though this proved unsuccessful, it’s unfortunate that so many on the right would choose to vote against someone who is extremely qualified, seemingly only to obstruct progress.
We at UFE are celebrating this moment. As a Black woman in the United States, Ketanji Brown Jackson has the lived experiences to understand the complexities and intersectionality of the issues most pressing to our nation, and this will shape how she approaches cases in the supreme court. She is a person who knows how hard Black women must work to keep afloat, and that Black and Brown people in the US must often work ‘twice as hard for half as much.’ Her presence and perspective is sure to have a major impact upon public policy in the United States, from how these debates are framed to their concrete outcomes.
We are also especially pleased that Judge Jackson, as the newest member of the Supreme Court, has a strong track record of standing up for economic justice. Ketanji Jackson has demonstrated her commitment to economic justice over the course of her life and work, and has supported other justice issues including women’s rights, environmental issues, and issues that affect the lives of working people and everyday Americans. She will also bring a new perspective to the supreme court on contested issues like mass incarceration.
Issues of racial and economic justice are inextricably linked, and having a judge elected to the supreme court with the lived experiences to fight racism and sexism more effectively is a positive step toward building a more fair economy.