Lovely One: Spelman College Welcomes Ketanji Brown Jackson
On September 6, Spelman College welcomed The Honorable Ketanji Brown Jackson to campus. She sat with Spelman College President Dr. Helene D. Gayle to discuss her new memoir, Lovely One.
Hosted by the Spelman College Social Justice Program, this intimate event was held in Reynold’s College and welcomed; Social Justice Fellows, representatives from the Spelman Student Government Association, and The Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy. The room was also filled with numerous faculty members and Spelman alumna who previously served as judges on the Georgia Superior Court. The discussion provided a thorough exploration of Justice Jackson’s upbringing, her journey to the bench, and the lessons she has learned from being the first Black woman to earn this honor.
Pamela Stegall, C'2010 and Program Coordinator for the Social Justice Program, had an integral role in organizing the event and discussed her plan to make it excellent:
We try to do things here at Spelman in the spirit of excellence, thus specially curating each detail of this event was extremely necessary. When I went home, I would go over everything in my head and visualize every little detail to ensure we made the event near perfect. And in the end, I was very proud to see how all of it came together and how the students represented themselves. I was proud to see that we also had former judges and Spelman alumna in our midst. Just to be in the room was so inspirational. Now students can see this particular example of a Black woman's excellence. They may not get into the political arena, but they can see the tenacity and confidence of Justice Jackson and strive for it in their chosen fields. That made my day.
Ketanji Brown Jackson is the 116th Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1970, her family moved to Miami, Florida shortly after so that her father could attend law school at The University of Miami. She received her undergraduate and juris doctorate degrees from Harvard University.
In 2012, President Barack Obama nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where she served from 2013 to 2021. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and nominated her as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. She took her seat on June 30, 2022, becoming the first Black woman to sit on the Court.
She described one of her fondest memories of sitting at the kitchen table with her father, reading her elementary school books while he read his law school books. She recalled that watching her father's journey toward a legal career inspired her desire to pursue a career in law. Justice Jackson recounts keenly watching both of her parents, admiring their determination for greatness within themselves and for their children. Their resilience and pride in their family and heritage left a lasting impression on her. Honoring this, they gave her the name Ketanji Onyika, meaning lovely one, to pay homage to their West African ancestry. This meaning inspired the name of her new memoir.
During the discussion, Dr. Gayle asked Justice Jackson questions formulated by the Office of the President and the Social Justice Program. One topic that loomed over the conversation was race relations in the United States. Being the first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court comes with great reward and success, but also great responsibility and hardship. Justice Jackson discussed how people often misconstrue her power as an Associate Justice.
She recalled that some people mistakenly believed that she would be a savior or superhero for all Black and brown people and women who have fallen victim to the U.S.’s corrupt justice system. However, in a court that has a conservative majority, she explains that oftentimes, when it is her turn to vote, the decision has already been made. She elaborated that by speaking up and offering her opinion before the ruling, her voice—and the voices of those unheard—can finally be acknowledged, even if the decision does not turn out in her favor.
Social Justice Fellow Jenevieve Joseph, C'2025, is a member of the Spelman Social Justice Program’s Dream Team, a group of students who serve as office aids and program assistants. Their duties range from event liaisons to social media and content creation. For this event, she had the unique opportunity to greet attendees and personally meet the Supreme Court Justice:
Meeting with Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It takes an incredible amount of perseverance and resilience to be a Black woman on the highest court of the land. Getting to learn more about her story and seeing the joy with which she filled the room was inspiring for all in attendance. My favorite part was when Justice Jackson spoke of her support system which students, myself included, got to see firsthand in the form of her doting husband. For me, that echoed the importance of remaining close with my Spelman siblings as a support system as it will be vital for accomplishing such great feats.
Justice Jackson’s arrival at Reynold’s Cottage was also a first in Spelman’s history, as she is the first sitting Supreme Court Justice to visit our sacred grounds. She remarked that she indeed felt the warmth of the campus and was delighted to return to Atlanta after receiving an honorary degree from Spelman College during the 2024 Commencement Ceremony at the Georgia International Convention Center in May.
Dr. Cynthia Neal Spence, C '78, is the Founding Director of the Social Justice Program and has been on the faculty at Spelman for 43 years. She has organized a multitude of social justice events since being a student at Spelman but recalls never experiencing one as beautiful as this:
In my history at Spelman, this is the first time we have ever had a member of the United States Supreme Court visit the campus, so that was extremely exciting. However, it was clear to us that she was not coming to discuss case proceedings and court decisions. She was here to introduce her book, but through her book, she introduced her life. As someone who has been at Spelman all of my own adult life, I know that it is quite valuable for our students to see individuals who look like them, hear their stories, and see themselves in the stories of people who have elevated themselves throughout all social arenas.
This conversation was just one stop on Justice Jackson’s high-profile memoir tour across the nation. The students and administrators who were present felt empowered to hear from a true trailblazer for all women striving to make a difference. Justice Jackson reminds us that we must remain remarkable in everything we do because the world does not afford Black women the luxury of being average. Her words resonated deeply with Spelman's community, inspiring students to embrace their unique strengths and uphold their legacies with pride. Through her story, Justice Jackson not only demonstrated the heights that Black women can reach but also reinforced a collective commitment to the excellence that lies at the heart of Spelman’s mission.