Senator Cory Booker and Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson had a moment together during the historic nomination process, one that brought the latter to tears. Booker, a Democratic senator from New Jersey, used his 30-minute time during the hearing on Wednesday, March 23, to praise Judge Jackson for her “grit and grace” during the difficult proceedings.
Booker celebrated her accomplishments as a judge and a Black woman in politics, likening her work to the hope that Harriet Tubman fought for. The abolitionist would gaze at the night sky, the stars a symbol of hope, as she undertook her dangerous missions to free enslaved people.
“Today, you’re my star,” Booker told Jackson. “You are my harbinger of hope. This country’s getting better and better and better. And when that final vote happens, and you ascend on to the highest court in the land, I’m going to rejoice.”
Throughout his speech, it seemed that Booker—the sole Black member on the Senate Judiciary Committee—wasn’t speaking to anyone else in the room but Jackson. He also took the time to unravel some of the accusatory questions that had been pointed toward Jackson, like her alleged “leniency on sex offenders,” and various other attacks the GOP threw her way.
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“I’ve just watched you, with dignity and grace, field what I can only imagine is behind those questions—this doubt that is being sown,” he said. “I just want America to know that when it comes to my family’s safety—when it comes to Newark, New Jersey, or my state—God, I trust you.”
Jackson was visibly emotional as Booker sang her praise and congratulated her on how far she’s come while connecting her story to his own. He took a moment to confirm what many Black individuals in these historic positions know: that they carry the weight of representing not just themselves but others in their community. Booker was the fourth Black person elected to the Senate in 2013 and remarked how members of the cleaning staff who were people of color (the category makes up a majority of hirings for that staff) would congratulate him and thank him for his work. While it’s beyond unfair to tokenize these individuals as a response to the diversity problem in the U.S. government, Booker stands united with Jackson as they do with other Black history makers.
Getting emotional himself, Booker continued, “You’re a person who is so much more than your race and gender. I’m sorry, it’s hard for me not to look at you and not see my mom, my cousins…. I see my ancestors and yours.”
Near the end of his speech, Booker gave special attention to the hardships of other Black women and the many racist and sexist obstacles they face in life. He referenced an often misquoted remark from Ginger Rogers, but the sentiment was the same: that women—specifically Black women—often have to do the same work as their male counterparts, but “backward and in heels.”
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“Nobody’s going to steal that joy,” he said. “You have earned this spot. You are worthy.”
He concluded his speech with an emotional promise that he trusted she would have her seat on the court. “Don’t worry, my sister, don’t worry,” he said. “God has got you. And how do I know that? Because you’re here, and I know what it’s taken for you to sit in that seat.”
Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was selected by President Joe Biden after a campaign promise he made to appoint a Black woman to the Supreme Court. These proceedings come after the historically fast appointment of Justice Amy Coney Barrett by former President Donald Trump, who was confirmed to the Supreme Court by the Senate after less than four days of hearings. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will be the first Black woman, the fifth woman, and the third Black individual to sit on the bench.
