Ketanji Brown Jackson is the Beginning , Not the End , of this Story
By Tomiko Brown-Nagin Guest Columinis
Despite the toxic partisan politics displayed during the confirmation hearings for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson last month , her ascension to the US Supreme Court — as an eminently qualified jurist and the first African American woman justice — marks a profound and positive change in the nation ’ s history .
In 2022 , we are closer than ever to the aspiration of equal protection promised in the US Constitution and our laws , even as race and gender inequities endure in many areas of American life . This is a moment worthy of celebration . But it also invites reflection on how individual success relates to the ideal of opportunity for all .
It has taken over 230 years to reach this auspicious moment . Until 1967 , when former President Lyndon B . Johnson appointed Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court , presidents only selected White men to serve as justices . And for hundreds of years , race and gender not only defined the court ’ s membership , but the court , in its decisions , also served as an instrument of discrimination against people of color and women .
The court once denied that any person of African descent could be a US citizen , upheld racial segregation , denied that the Constitution protected the voting rights of women and upheld a state ’ s right to deprive women of law licenses . ( All of these rulings were eventually overturned .)
During her confirmation hearings , Jackson acknowledged the dramatic changes in our country over the past 60 years that facilitated her own ascent . Without the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ’ s ban on race- and sex-based discrimination in education and employment , Jackson ’ s chances of attaining the sterling educational and legal credentials that helped prepare her for a US Supreme Court nomination would have been slim to none . Even with the Civil Rights Act in place , it took years of lawsuits and protests to pry open the doors of predominantly White universities and elite sectors of the legal profession for Black Americans .
But while there is certainly cause to celebrate the change that Jackson ’ s confirmation to the court symbolizes , that celebration is not enough . We must also question whether American institutions are doing what they must to ensure that all students — including the many people of color and young women and girls who will be inspired by Jackson ’ s ascent — have a real chance to achieve their full potential . by Jackson ’ s ascent — have a real chance to achieve their full potential .
Sadly , our educational institutions still fail to nurture the talents of many American children . State-mandated racial segregation and sex discrimination are illegal today . But the likelihood of success in American K-12 and postsecondary schools still relies heavily on factors beyond an individual ’ s control — often correlated with race and gender in ways that reinforce the effects of past , thenlawful discrimination .
Where a child is born and grows up is a happenstance of birth . As the Harvard economist Raj Chetty has shown , a student ’ s zip code is strongly correlated with life chances . Highly racially segregated areas — as well those with high income inequality , poor schools , low social capital and low family stability — tend to have low upward mobility from one generation to the next .
Geography often directly determines access to high-quality schools with experienced teachers , college preparatory curricula and a wealth of co-curricular offerings , from STEM clubs to speech and debate teams . Jackson ’ s educational journey to Harvard started at precisely such a school ; she was a star debater at Miami Palmetto Senior
Geography often directly determines access to high-quality schools with experienced teachers , college preparatory curricula and a wealth of co-curricular offerings , from STEM clubs to speech and debate teams . Jackson ’ s educational journey to Harvard started at precisely such a school ; she was a star debater at Miami Palmetto Senior High School and graduated well-prepared for admission to a selective college and professional school , lucrative employment opportunities and career success .
The level of education of a child ’ s parents is another happenstance . Those born to parents with college degrees are much better positioned for success in K-12 school , and more likely to access and succeed at college . In fact , parents ’ educational attainment is often identified as the most important factor predicting the educational achievement of students , and households headed by college-educated parents tend to provide greater economic , emotional and social stability . During her opening statement , Jackson recognized that her supportive parents , Johnny and Ellery Brown , both graduates of historically Black colleges and universities , propelled her success — including her ambition to attend law school .
Program Success 6 April 2022