Though I only followed Ketanji Brown Jackson’s rise to securing her Supreme Court confirmation from the social media periphery, I have not been left untouched by the journey.
The first thing for me was the look; the sideward beaming gaze from her 17-year-old daughter, Leila, which spoke volumes. Not least, a mix of pride, affirmation, and support. As a woman who has had to juggle many life balls including marriage, parenting, work, and ministry, it meant a lot to me to see another purposeful hard-working woman being “seen” by her child. How I hope and pray that I too will one day give my children cause to look at me with such admiration.
Leila was the same daughter who, aged eleven, wrote to then President Barak Obama urging him to nominate her mother to the Supreme Court. This is powerful on very many levels. Firstly, despite her young age, she had recognised the gold in her mother, well before others could. She didn’t stop there though. She took action. Leila had clearly been raised to believe that her voice counted and she was willing and able to use it. Hmmm…
Then there were the Nos! Successive Republican senators seemingly extolling Judge Brown Jackson’s virtues yet categorically denying her of their vote. Regardless of the senators’ stated reasons, for many this represented naked shameless racism in full view for the world to see. But still she rose…. This, for me, was a reminder that the opposition of others, no matter how powerful, need not define our destinies. In reality, the only people who can determine the course of our lives are God and ourselves. Lord knows that others will try but we must, time and time again, deny them the ability to steal this power over our lives from us.
During the confirmation hearing, Brown Jackson shared a story about a brief yet impactful encounter she had with a black lady whilst in her freshman year at Harvard. The woman leaned over to her as she walked through the yard and said, “Persevere!” She held on to that word and the rest, as they say, is history. I am reminded about how much impact we can have with our words – for good or for bad. I wonder what would have happened had that lady not given her that one word of encouragement that day. Who’s life can I positively impact with my words today?
Finally, as I watched the video of Senator Cory Booker quote Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise” after news of the confirmation, I was moved. The celebration of many across the world reminded me that, invariably, a win for one is a win for many; if we let it. Ketanji Brown Jackson’s win was a win for blacks, a win for women, a win for minorities, a win for the oppressed, a win for the marginalised, and a win for whoever has allowed themselves to be touch and inspired by her victory. She has smashed racial, gender and professional barriers many sought to retain and that has, in turn, shattered certain inner limitations in the hearts and minds of many.
So, I am left thinking, “Sanyade, you must pursue those dreams! As big and as impossible as they may seem, you must!” Not least because without a shadow of a doubt, my winning will cause many others to win. I owe it not just to myself or my family to push past the barriers before me, I owe it to all who await the full manifestation of all that is within me.
I can also say with great confidence that the same is true for you! There are many waiting for you to rise further. Will you?
Yes! There are many waiting for us to rise!
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