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Ketanji Brown Jackson Appointed to the Supreme Court

“In my family, it took just one generation to go from segregation to the Supreme Court of the United States.”

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson poses for a photo by a display in the Ground Floor Corridor featuring U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, part of a Black History Month exhibit at the White House in partnership with the Smithsonian, Friday, February 25, 2022. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

History was made on April 7, 2022 when Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed as the new US Supreme Court Justice. Her breadth and depth of legal experience sets her up to be an exceptional addition to the Supreme Court. She faced staunch disprespect and had her many accomplishments challenged during hearings leading up to her confirmation, yet she did not waver. Her strength, talent and drive for a fair and just legal system make her an incredible role model as the first Black woman on the Court, and we look forward to watching her star rise.

Click here to learn more about Ketanji Brown Jackson.

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Emercado 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

June is Pride Month, honoring the events that occurred during the Stonewall Uprising in 1969. This month we recognize the growth of LGBT+ rights and the impact this community has had across the nation and around the world. The rainbow flag that defines LGBT+ Pride has many variations that have developed over the years to fully represent the diversity of this community’s gender identities and sexualities.

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Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters for Business Insider

October 5 is World Teachers’ Day, which celebrates teachers worldwide. This day of recognition was created by UNESCO in 1994 and commemorates adoption of the 1996 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers. The act set regulations for the rights of teachers regarding their education, recruitment, and standards for teaching and conditions for learning.

The theme for 2020 is “Teachers: Leading in Crisis, Reimagining the Future”. NACRJ recognizes and celebrates teachers for their many achievements and dedication to the wellbeing of students. This is particularly evident now as they struggle to meet the needs of their students and safely reopen schools under COVID-19 public health limitations. Their creativity and selfless dedication in these strange and dangerous conditions is awe-inspiring.

Every year, UNESCO hosts convenings and celebrations to promote teachers all over the world. This year’s virtual events will take place online from October 5 through October 12. There will be discussions of the lessons learned and successes in responding to school closures, transitioning to virtual classrooms, the challenges of reopening schools and retrospectives on crisis responses among educators all over the world.

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Each year on June 19 we celebrate and remember the Emancipation of Slaves across the United States.  The significance of the date is that it was on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas that US Army General Gordon Granger read the federal order freeing all slaves held in the State of Texas.  At the time Texas was the most remote slave state and despite the Emancipation Proclamation being signed by President Lincoln two years earlier, news of the end of slavery had not yet reach Texas.  It was on that date that all slaves were finally freed. 

On Friday June 19, 2020 at 5 pm PT Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY) held a Juneteenth Community Conversation on-line.  The focus of the conversation will be on Bryan Stevenson's inspirationational work over the last 35 years fighting to correct injustices in the American criminal justice system  The recent movie "Just Mercy" told the story of one man's case - Walter McMillian - of wrongful conviction.

RJOY invites you to join them for a Freedom Day facilitated discussion of Bryan Stevenson's inspirational pursuit of justice.  It is important that we reflect on this moment of reckoning in the year 2020 and engage in a conversation acknowledging how far we've come and imagine where this cultural shift is challenging us to go. 

Visit Bryan Stevenson's website - Equal Justice Initiative.