Ketanji Brown Jackson Born For The Bench, With Miami Roots

Miami FL

03 March, 2022

5:43 PM

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By Johania Charles Miami Times Staff Writer (Wikimedia.org) (Palmetto High School yearbook) (Courtesy of the Brown Family) (National Law Journal) (LawFIU.edu) (GSCBWLA.org) (Courtesy of the Brown Family), the Miami Times Mar 1, 2022 More than four decades ago, a young Ketanji Brown Jackson stood at the Dade County Youth Fair proudly reciting the Margaret Walker poem "For My People" for an oratorical contest, not yet realizing that she would one day embody the "second generation full of courage" that the Black laureate described. The first grader took home more than just the winning purple rosette that day – she left the fairgrounds with newfound confidence and passion, coupled with a love for reading and writing, that would set her on the path to becoming the first Black woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. Brown Jackson, who has roots in Miami, has already become a household name as millions of Americans look to the Senate for the next step in the process. Kentanji Brown Jackson If confirmed, she will not only be making history as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, but she would be only the second justice with judicial trial court and criminal justice defense experience. As many leaders from Miami's Black community embrace the nomination, those closest to Brown Jackson reflect on the road that led her to what many are calling her destiny. Brown Jackson growing up In an exclusive interview with The Miami Times, Brown Jackson's parents shared details of how their little girl grew up with ambition in her bones. "Ketanji had already made up her in mind in junior high school," said Jhonny Brown, her father and a former chief attorney for the Miami-Dade County School Board. "Everything she did led to this. She even wrote in her yearbook that she wanted a judicial nomination. That was her goal and she never wavered from it one iota." A young Ketanki Brown when she was a student at Palmetto High School. (Palmetto High School yearbook) "Her passion, I'd say, was to always do something with speech," said Ellery Brown, Brown Jackson's mother and a former principal of New World School of the Arts. "We as parents could never win in an argument or anything with her because her debate expertise [kicked] in even before she was on the debate team." When she wasn't debating, Brown Jackson always had a book in hand, whether it was at the dinner table or during car rides. As a young girl constantly searching for creative outlets, she penned an unpublished book of poems titled "Dandelion Fluff." "She had a lot of thoughts and ideas she liked to put down in writing," continued Ellery Brown, who credited her daughter's literacy for her sharp-wittedness. "We had multiple reading resources here at home and always encouraged her to read. I taught her how to read when she was 3 years old." Ketanji Brown Jackson at age 3 with her mother, Ellery Brown. (Courtesy of the Brown Family) For seven years, young Ketanji fed an interest in music with piano classes at the Miami Oratorio Society under the guidance of the late Victor Kelly. She still occasionally plays some tunes for family. Brown Jackson was always driven by a desire to excel when it came to her hobbies, academics or anything that piqued her interest. "She's always been a very independent thinker; I cannot remember a time where we had to say 'Do your homework,'" shared Ellery Brown. "In fact, what we've had to say was 'Go to bed. That's enough …' We never had to encourage her to do her best because she was going to do it anyway, even putting in more [work] than what we thought was necessary." While at Palmetto Middle School, Brown Jackson's free spirit and eagerness to speak up caught the attention of the adjacent high school's debate teacher, leading to her involvement in Miami Palmetto Senior High School's debate team. There, she was also voted class president in her sophomore, junior and senior years. A pivotal moment in her young adult life was the national debate tournament, which happened to fall on the same day as her high school graduation. She sacrificed that ceremony to honor a commitment to the team and to herself, winning first in the nation at competition. "Although she did a lot in high school, where she really blossomed was in college. Ketanji was an ideal student [during her] undergraduate career," said Jhonny Brown, disclosing how elated he was to discover how his own law career and parental support helped propel his daughter toward success. Overall, both parents are proud to see their daughter's hard work and passion recognized through a nomination to the Supreme Court. "What I can say from this point on – whether she gets to sit on the Supreme Court or not – is watch this space," said Jhonny Brown, borrowing MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow's sign-off phrase. "Because you'll hear from her again." Now as a mother, wife, sister, daughter and judge, Brown Jackson prepares to shatter a glass ceiling in American government. It started with a life-changing phone call last Thursday and an official announcement the next day. Support from everywhere "For too long, our government, our courts, haven't looked like America," President Joe Biden told the nation last week, standing firm behind a campaign promise to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court and justifying why Brown Jackson was his pick. Ketanji Brown Jackson being sworn in to the Federal bench by her mentor, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. Her husband, Patrick Jackson, M.D., held the bible. (National Law Journal) She currently serves as a judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a position nominated by Biden in April 2021 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 53-44 vote two months later. Nomination supporters say the Harvard graduate, sporting a long stint in government with a diversified legal background, stood out among the candidates on Biden's shortlist. "From the days of slavery until today, America has been on a slow and steady course to become a more perfect union," said H.T. Smith, FIU law professor and founding director of the university's college of law Trial Advocacy Program. "It's been 232 years where Americans have seen the Supreme Court but have never seen a Black woman's face, experienced her talent (or) see (her) brilliance. While the appointment will not cure all of the racial ills in the law or in our society, it is definitely a step in the right direction." H.T. Smith (LawFIU.edu) Smith says the nomination is transformative for both the Black and legal communities, offering a prospective justice that young Black girls like his daughters could see themselves. It's already garnered bipartisan support and can provide unique insight into the trial system in criminal and civil courts, both on a local and state level. Brown Jackson's connection to Miami, he says, only sweetens the deal. "In this country, growing up as a Black woman, I was raised with the concept – and clearly so was Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson – that you have to be more and do more for where you want to be," said Nakia Ruffin, president of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association. "As far as her qualifications, they're impeccable. Her qualifications aren't an issue, but the politics of things is [another story] ... We've had women on the Supreme Court but we have not had a Black woman, and representation really matters." Advocacy organizations such as The Black Collective, a Miami-based organization committed to building up Black communities through political consciousness, also expressed support for Brown Jackson. "We need jurists who understand their duty and responsibility to protect the civil rights and liberties of the people and strike down laws that disproportionately harm and impact minority communities," reads a social media post by the collective. "This appointment is long overdue ... we join in celebrating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment and look forward to her being a beacon of change." Nakia Ruffin (GSCBWLA.org) "Impartial judges need not consider political ideology; they need only consider these issues in their real-life context," said Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates, a leading legal nonprofit for women and girls. "A skilled and pragmatic consensus-building Judge Jackson will bring hers to bear at the Supreme Court and it will be better for it." Though the nomination has garnered much praise, some recognize the news was not well received in every community. "I firmly believe that she is going to be confirmed despite the rumblings of some people on Capitol Hill," said Melba Pearson, civil rights attorney and policy director for FIU's Center for the Administration of Justice. "She's incredibly qualified and her character is unimpeachable." Biden's critics, including Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson, are calling the move reverse discrimination, saying the campaign promise left out more qualified candidates. "The whole notion that President Biden's promise to nominate a Black female could mean that his standard for this position has been lowered is really insulting and derogatory," said Trelvis Randolph, president of the Wilkie D. Ferguson Junior Bar Association. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson pictured with her two daughters and husband. (Courtesy of the Brown Family) Randolph says the president should be complimented for his conscious effort to put up a candidate that may have otherwise been overlooked because of her race. "One of the things that the Wilkie D. Ferguson Junior Bar Association has always prompted when it deals with judges is that the judiciary should reflect the community in which it serves," said Randolph. "We don't have that often on a local level, and when we have that on a regional level it's even rare still. And so having this happen in the highest office of the land, we feel that we're moving closer to that representation." "She will be an excellent ambassador for the Black community," said District 24 U.S. Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson, who petitioned the president through a letter to select Jackson. "Yes, there's a Black man on the court but he does not represent, in my opinion, the issues of the Black community, so she will be a welcome change." Wilson said as a Black woman tasked with being a change agent and social justice reformer in society, Brown Jackson will not fold under pressure. "If you really want to get an idea of what kind of justice she will be, you just have to look at her record and how she's performed," said Jhonny Brown of his daughter. "She will not deviate from that at all." Added Ellery Brown, "She's going to be fair and very researched in whatever it is that comes before her [on the bench]." The Miami Times is the largest Black-owned newspaper in the south serving Miami's Black community since 1923. The award-winning weekly is frequently recognized as the best Black newspaper in the country by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.