With President Biden nominating Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, the president appears to have fulfilled one of his campaign promises to put the first Black woman on the high court. But the groundwork for the choice was laid far earlier.
Attorney Kim Tignor tapped some of her lawyer friends during the height of the social justice movement in the summer of 2020 to form the group “She Will Rise.”
“There is not another Black women’s created-and-led entity within this space that is helping to inform the discourse, and this is a labor of love for us,” Tignor told CBS News’ Nikole Killion. “I mean, we are living this.”
The group has been dedicated to elevating an African American woman to the high court, launching a petition and a website to track judicial nominations.
“We know that the demographics of this country are changing every single day. We believe that representation is important,” said “She Will Rise,” member April Reign.
“The reality is we actually think that the absence of a Black woman on this court is an abject failure, frankly,” said Brandi Colander, who is also a member of the group.
Only seven justices have not been White men in the Supreme Court’s 233-year history.
“We come in all shapes and sizes and colors and genders and sexual orientations. … The judiciary up and down from the Supreme Court to your local judge should represent the community,” Reign said.
The group did not endorse a particular candidate on President Biden’s shortlist but said they look forward to the day when Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed by the Senate.
“It’s going to be emotional, quite frankly, because there is the feeling seen component of this,” Colander said.
