The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson, magnanimous in victory, gracious through the process and fortified in recovery. These are the sentiments that will mark this iconic moment in America’s history.
The world knows you now, but we have known you for centuries. Your representation of all the sheroes, foremothers and earth angels whose unshakable beliefs escorted us to this finish line, is the answered prayer to the rivers of tears cried, the crushing and endless pain endured from the unhealed wounds of racism, sexism and injustices deliberate and sustaining towards Black people and Black women specifically.
On the eve of victory, Black women have shut down every doubter and all performers who would dare to come against us in this fight for our rightful inclusion. “Not this time,” said Melanie Campbell, convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable, where thousands of Black women on all forms of media and social media have spoken through their actions and advocacy on behalf of this confirmation. In 233 years, the Supreme Court has never had a Black Women Justice, until April 7.
On the eve of victory, every Black girl in America and beyond can say, it is indeed possible for me to soar above the lies and the noise about who I am and what is possible for me. This is our moment to celebrate the harvest from seeds planted long ago.
This is also our moment to plant new seeds for generations to come. Today, we can affirm one another.
Barbara A. Perkins is an executive leadership coach and multi-faceted business woman with 30+ years in the private and public sector. She is president of the International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute and president of Image Builders Etcetera, LLC, a full-service leadership development and coaching firm.
