WASHINGTON, D.C. — I am deeply honored to witness this momentous occasion, taking in the weight of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's Senate confirmation proceedings. Hearing the depth of her qualifications and credentials and her lifelong career of advancing justice makes me so proud as a fellow lawyer and American.
There have been 115 Justices on the United States Supreme Court, and Judge Jackson is the very first Black woman to be nominated to the highest court of our land. As a Black woman and as the mother of four daughters, I'm overjoyed that children throughout Illinois and, quite frankly, the world will have a broader, more imaginative view of what's possible for their futures.
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Judge Jackson stands on the shoulders of Jane Bolin, Constance Baker Motley, and so many Black women of history who dared to strive for more in the legal profession. Like her predecessors, Judge Jackson's achievements today represent the excellence she holds and the potential that is in all of us.
Because it is not just about being the first; it is about being the first of many. A new chapter in our nation's history is being written, one where young Black girls can see themselves as a voice for the voiceless on the highest court in the nation—because Judge Jackson opened the door to dream.
I want to send a heartfelt thank you to the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, for inviting me to witness the enormity of this historic moment. It is a privilege to see history in the making.
