The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) and its Affiliates congratulate Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is extraordinarily qualified to be the next Justice appointed to the United States Supreme Court. We stand ready to support Judge Jackson throughout the confirmation process, confident that she is more than worthy to ascend to the nation’s highest court. Judge Jackson possesses all of the traditional qualifications of Supreme Court Justices. She is a Harvard graduate, clerked for Supreme Court Justice Breyer, and tried cases in federal district court. What makes Judge Jackson unique is that she was a public defender in federal court and was appointed to the U.S. Sentencing Commission that is charged with making prison sentences more equal and fairer.
Her current assignment – as a Judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals – is the traditional proving ground and launching pad for many US Supreme Court Justices. Today is a good day to recall the words of Justice Sandra Day O’Conner, first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, “To cultivate … leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, … the path to leadership must be visibly open to the talented … individuals of every race and ethnicity.”
The appointment of Ketanji Brown Jackson is a watershed moment for women, for people of African descent and for democracy itself. It proves that the centuries-long disqualifier – being a Black woman – no longer exists. That is not to say that Judge Jackson is the first Black woman qualified to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court. The long list of potential nominees that circulated in the press is proof that there are numerous qualified candidates.
The nomination says that finally there is an opportunity for all qualified persons to serve at the highest level of this nation’s judiciary. Today is also a day of gratitude and respect for a President courageous enough to make and keep a promise to the millions of Black women and their allies who supported his election. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg once said, “We will all profit from a more diverse, inclusive society, understanding, accommodating, even celebrating our differences, while pulling together for the common good.”
NCNW is a federation of 32 organizations that seeks to improve the lives of women of African descent, their families and communities. Founded 87 years ago, NCNW’s mission is to lead, advocate for an equitable stake in the American promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. NCNW and its Affiliated organizations represent more than Two Million women and their families.
Sincerely,
Dr. Thelma T. Daley
8th National President and Chair
National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
Janice L. Mathis, Esq.
Executive Director
NCNW, Inc.
Elsie Cooke-Holmes
President
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Glenda Glover
International President and CEO
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Rasheeda S. Liberty
International Grand Basileus
Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Sandra Crowder
International President
Women’s Home and Overseas Missionary Society
Deborah Taylor King
International President
Women’s Missionary Society, AMEC
Letisa Vereen
President
National Association of University Women, Inc.
Sharon J. Beard
President
Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc.
Sherelle T. Carper
24th National President & CEO
The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc.
Dorothy M White
23rd National President
Iota Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc.
Kimberly Jeffries Leonard, PhD
National President
The Links, Incorporated
Colette McCurdy-Jackson
National President
Eta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Valerie Hollingsworth Baker
National President
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Ditra Stanford Scruggs
President
Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority, Inc.
Lenor Reese
National President
Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc.
Fayetta Caffie
National President
Tau Gamma Delta Sorority, Inc.
Dr. Martha A. Dawson
President/CEO
National Black Nurses Association
Catherine Lewis
National President
The Charmettes, Incorporated
Elizabeth A. Jones
National President
National Coalition of 100 Black Women