But when it was Democratic Sen. Cory Booker’s turn, he made sure to praise the woman who is making history as the first Black woman to be nominated to the Supreme Court and will be the first Black woman on the bench if confirmed. Sen. Booker, who is the only Black senator on the committee, moved the Honorable Brown Jackson to tears as he listed out her accomplishments and highlighted the significance of her being there.
“You did not get there because of some left-wing agenda,” he said. “You didn’t get here because of some dark money groups. You get here how every Black woman in America who’s gotten anywhere has done. By being, like Ginger Rogers said, ‘I did everything Fred Astaire did, but backward in heels.”
Although Ketanji will be making history as a Black woman, Cory told her that she is more than just her race and that this moment is bigger than just her.
"I want to tell you when I look at you, this is why I get emotional,” he said. “I’m sorry — you’re a person that is so much more than your race and gender. You’re a Christian, you’re a mom, you’re an intellect, you love books.” He continued, “It’s hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom. Not to see my cousins, one of them who had to come here and sit behind you. She had to have your back. I see my ancestors and yours."
He also pointed out the unfair questioning she received from his colleagues. “You faced insults here that were shocking to me — well, actually not shocking,” he said. “But you are here because of that kind of love, and nobody is taking this away from me.”
Before closing out his speech, he compared the judge to Harriet Tubman as she was a symbol of hope to so many Black Americans and how Ketanji is following in those very footsteps. "I thought about her. And how she looked up, she kept looking up," he said. "No matter what they did to her, she never stopped looking up. And that star was a harbinger of hope.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
"Today, you’re my star. You are my harbinger of hope. This country is getting better and better and better. And when that final vote happens, and you ascend to the highest court in the land, I’m going to rejoice. And I’m going to tell you right now, the greatest country in the world, the United States of America, will be better because of you."
Cory’s powerful and uplifting words to Ketanji made their rounds on social media and touched so many people.
I am so moved by and impressed with Senator Cory Booker. And Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is SUPREMELY qualified to serve on our nation’s highest court. I’m so inspired by them both. They represent public service at its best.
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) March 22, 2022
Cory Booker using his time to pour into Judge Ketanji is not a performance.
— Ayanna. (@untouchableYann) March 23, 2022
When overqualified black women are constantly belittled, attacked, interrogated, disrespected, & demeaned the LEAST any sound & moral person can do is reroute their own agenda to reassure & reassert her.
Ancestors bless Senator Cory Booker for standing up for his Black sister Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in the most joyful, passionate terms.
— Unofficial Judge Ketanji Defense Account: Qondi (@QondiNtini) March 23, 2022
Back home we have praise singers. That’s Cory.
“Nobody is going to steal our joy. You deserve to be here.”
Ketanji and I are both crying pic.twitter.com/IdugDJYb48
Watch the full video of Cory Booker and Ketanji Brown Jackson here:
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I’m proud to announce that I am nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. Currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, she is one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and will be an exceptional Justice.https://t.co/iePvhz1YaApic.twitter.com/Nzqv2AtN8h
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 25, 2022
Judge Brown Jackson, 51, is a two-time graduate of Harvard University. She graduated undergrad as a magna cum laude in 1992 and Harvard’s Law School as a cum laude in 1996 while also serving as the editor for the prestigious Harvard Law Review. She clerked for the now-retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and served as a federal judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit since 2013, which is viewed as the second most powerful court in the U.S.
What also makes her nomination historic is that she is now the second-youngest justice on the court and the only one with experience working with low-income criminal defendants as a public defender.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
She’s even gone head to head with former President Trump in theCommittee on the Judiciary v. McGahn case. In this case, she rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to be exempt from a congressional investigation. “Presidents are not kings," she wrote in the ruling in response to the former administration. "They do not have subjects, bound by loyalty or blood, whose destiny they are entitled to control."
In 2009, she also served as the Vice Chair of the U.S. Sentencing Commission after President Obama nominated her.
Judge Brown Jackson was on a short-list of Black women who were reportedly being considered for the high position. Those women included California Supreme Court Justice Leondra Kruger and Judge J. Michelle Childs.
The judge was born in Washington D.C. but grew up in Miami, FL. She is also a wife and a mother to twin daughters.
Watch her give her moving and historic acceptance speech at the 8:42 mark in the video below:
BREAKING: NBC News Special Report:
President Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson to Supreme Court. https://t.co/E3rYfctwpM
— NBC News (@NBCNews) February 25, 2022
Featured image by Kevin Lamarque-Pool/Getty Images
It's official, guys. Derek Chauvin, the ex-officer who was at the center of the murder of George Floyd, has now been convicted of the crime. To say this is an interesting turn of events is an understatement, but I'm guessing that watching a video of him kneeling on his neck for almost ten minutes, was hard to deny. In fact, Chauvin was found guilty on all counts, a verdict that could send the disgraced former Minneapolis police officer to prison for the rest of his life.
Welp.
The 12 jurors didn't want to hear the defense's claim that there might have been other medical reasons that Floyd died, saying Chauvin killed him, even if unintentionally. And although you and I know that this shouldn't even be a question, it's pretty understood that that damn justice system rarely works in our favor. The fact that the word "nervous" was trending on Twitter prior to the verdict announcement, basically tells you everything you need to know.
But then it happened. It actually happened.
Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. "The selected jury finds you guilty, Derek Chauvin."
The inner child in me wept for the years of blatant disregard for Black life, while the outer gangster in me was relieved that I could, for once, not feel the sting of inequity.
"Today, we are able to breathe again," Floyd's brother Philonise Floyd said afterward. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office oversaw Chauvin's prosecution, chimed in as well, saying:
"I would not call today's verdict justice, however, because justice implies true restoration. But it is accountability, which is the first step toward justice."
But now what? What's next?
Stay on the gas.
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A major component to the outcome of this trial was the teamwork of millennials, partnered with the fearlessness of Gen-Z in Minnesota. If anything, these two generations in Minnesota is who this victory is owed to. They proved to the entire country that that quiet cousin that never says much, has those hands, and they aren't afraid to swing during the casualties of war to have their voice heard. Minnesota was like, "Peaceful protesting? Tuh. Burn dis bih down." And it was done on a scale that many of us had never experienced, or seen, before. And let's be real, had it not happened, Derek Chauvin would just be another cop who walked free, just as the previous 15K+ officers involved in a police killing have.
They hit the pavement, they demanded justice and let it be very known that anything less, would have consequences. A tone was set. It was beautiful.
But this can't be done each time. Now, it's time to work smarter.
So, identify the 'Stacey Abrams' in your city.
The 2020 election didn't go the way that many racists wanted it to, and we owe that all to a Black woman (of course). Stacey Abrams is a master in chess, outplaying her opponents at their own game. She, like Minnesota, had a few hands herself, as she defeated America with their rules. She empowered Black people to use their voice so powerfully, that these white folk are out here labeling legal and accurate votes as fraud. She has won multiple awards, has been hailed a hero, and praised for her work.
But guess what? There's a Stacey Abrams in every city. And so many go unnoticed. Identify yours. Let it be heard who they are. Listen to them. Support them. Or if you don't know where to start, get involved with Fair Fight Action.
Stay on the gas.
Pass The 'George Floyd Justice In Policing' Act
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in a 220-212 vote. It was introduced by the badass, Karen Bass (a woman that you need to know) and former chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.
The reintroduced bill would: prohibit profiling based on race and religion and mandate training on profiling; ban chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock warrants; require the use of federal funds to ensure use of body cameras; establish a National Police Misconduct Registry; amend the prosecution standard for police from "willfulness" to "recklessness" and reform qualified immunity; and require stronger data reporting on police use of force.
Officers who do not comply to these measures, will be held accountable. Which is imperative to reform.
Call 202-499-6085 and tell them you're in favor of the bill.
Invest in YOUR community.
GiphySupporting your community looks different to many people. To some it could be supporting a Black business online and spending your dollars there. But the way to have true change, is to start in your community. Know your elected officials in your neighborhood. Get to know patrolling officers, know who you're dealing with. Pick up trash you may see in your area. Find out what events take place near you and support them. Visit local small businesses in your neighborhood. Spend money in your community. Don't see enough trash cans or think that a traffic light could go at that intersection? Demand these things.
It starts at home. Focus there, first and everything else will fall into place.
Last but not least, practice self-care.
Guys, we have to decompress. We have to take a step back, sometimes. We won this battle, but in order to truly win, we have to take care of self. We're are setting our sights on Daunte Wright's death, who needs our support, and moments after the Derek Chauvin verdict was announced, 16-year old Ma'khia Bryant was murdered by an officer.
Too much information is readily available at our fingertips, which takes a toll. PTSD is real, and we all suffer just because we exist in the times.
Take the time to shut the phone off. Find a new hobby. Master that thing you've been practicing, or unwind with friends. You cannot take care of anything if you don't take care of you.
And we need you.
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