Black women continue to make history. In our current day, Kentaji Jackson has broken another glass ceiling as being the first Black woman confirmed to sit in the US Supreme Court. The bridges that she has crossed, accomplishments that she obtains, and the courageousness that she carries should be a testament that Black women do not have to be held back — but rather, that we can be in leadership — along with White men — and conquer.
Seemingly, during her entire lifetime, Jackson has been a trailblazer and one to be reckoned with. In her senior year of high school, she obtained the nationally oratory title at the National Catholic Forensic League Championships in New Orleans. From there, she went to the prominent university, Harvard University, where she studied government, led student protests, and graduated magna cum laude. She became a staff reporter for Time magazine and then went to Harvard’s Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor degree cum laude. Through the accomplishments she obtained during her highschool and college years, it is no surprise that she would continue to succeed and become the influential woman she is today as being confirmed for a position on the US Supreme Court.
Kentaji Jackson has endured a process – a series of events that has led her to her current opportunities. She began practicing law by becoming a law clerk to Judge Patti B. Saris and to Judge Bruce M. Selya. She then worked in private law practices and handled cases for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. She was then nominated by Barack Obama to become vice chair of the United States Sentencing Commission, and later a judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Her professional law experience has been of many strides, leading her to where she is today.
Jackson is a sign and a wonder that Black women can succeed and be influential in high places of leadership. She is a testament that gender and race do not have to restrict someone from excelling in their respective interests; rather, it can be the “secret sauce” to success — being distinguished and celebrated. May Black women look to Ms. Jackson and are inspired that if she can, we can too.