Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson returned to her hometown near Miami on Monday to witness the renaming of a street in her honor.
Jackson made history last year when she was sworn into the nation’s highest court, becoming the first Black woman to hold a seat on the bench. She was raised in Miami where she attended high school and participated in debate tournaments.
The naming of a Miami-area street for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson brings to four the number of sitting Supreme Court justices similarly honored and makes possible a high court-focused road trip between Florida and New York.
“I hope that this street naming will also serve as a testament to what is possible in this great country,”
Jackson said at a ceremony
“I hope that people who are driving by might have a moment of reflection about what it means that a person from this neighborhood and someone from my background could take what this place has to offer and be well-equipped enough to then go out into the world and do what it takes to not only become the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States – but also the first former public defender – and the first associate justice who is from the great state of Florida.”
In October 2022, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins’ legislation co-designating a major arterial road in south Miami-Dade County as “Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Street.”
“As a mother, lawyer, public servant and woman of color, the Justice is an inspiration, to say the very least. It is my absolute honor to recognize the Justice and to do so during Women’s History month,” she said in a statement.
“It is not just her accomplishments, it is also her character. While most of us will never near any of her accomplishments many of us can certainly relate to her story,” Higgins said of Jackson while giving an emotional recollection of Jackson’s career and life.
The Commissioner also acknowledged Jackson’s parents, who were in attendance at the ceremony, saying they, “Taught the importance of education and hard work but also to love your country even when your country did not love you back.”
