Only the BLACK WOMAN can say “when and where I enter, in the quiet, undisputed dignity of my womanhood, without violence and without suing or special patronage, then and there the whole. . . race enters with me.” – Anna Julia Cooper, A Voice from the South, 1892
Historically, African American women have stood at the crossroads of oppression and liberation. In her book, The Habit of Surviving, Kesho Yvonne Scott writes: “black women both shape the world and are shaped by it.” Today, Tougaloo College is proud to bear witness to this profound moment as Katanji Brown Jackson is confirmed as the first African American woman to serve on the United States Supreme Court.
Justice Brown Jackson joins a roster of demonstrably deliberate and unapologetic changemakers standing on the shoulders of women like Sojourner Truth, Rosa Parks, and Mississippi’s own Fannie Lou Hamer–to name a few – who held their heads high with bravery and grace in the face of racism and patriarchy. Her place on this Court is a manifestation of our ancestors’ dreams, and her role in the highest Court in the land signals true progress.
At this moment in history, we are confident that Justice Katanji Brown Jackson will be unwavering in her continued fight for a more just and equitable society and deliver words of fire in every decision she renders as a member of the United States Supreme Court. On this day, Tougaloo College salutes Justice Katanji Brown Jackson.
Daphne R. Chamberlain, Ph.D.
Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Social Justice
Carmen J. Walters, Ph.D. President
