“I really do believe that there is an important connection between my experience growing up in this area and my current position,” said Justice Jackson.
Supreme Court Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s resilience and tenacity have led her to historic heights in the realm of law. No matter how high she’s risen in her career, she’s always stayed true to her Miami roots. Jackson—the first Black woman in history appointed to sit on the country’s highest court—was recently honored with a street renaming in Miami-Dade County, NBC Miami reported.
The full-circle celebration took place on Monday; months after the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners unanimously greenlighted Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins’ proposed legislation to rename an arterial thoroughfare after Jackson.
The Washington, D.C.-born, Miami-raised jurist has often credited the city for shaping her into the woman she is today. Miami has served as the backdrop for several chapters throughout her journey. She came of age in South Dade—where her parents still call home—and it was at Miami Palmetto Senior High School where she learned and mastered the art of debate.
Justice Jackson says she hopes the street will serve as a source of inspiration for those from the local community. “I hope that this street naming will also serve as a testament to what is possible in this great country,” she shared during the 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.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava added Jackson’s journey is a “groundbreaking example for countless young Black women and girls in our county to keep reaching for their dreams, breaking those glass ceilings and proving that anything is truly possible.” The renaming ceremony was attended by elected officials and Jackson’s loved ones. The intersection of Caribbean Drive and Old Cutler Road will now bear her name.
News about ‘Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Street’ comes months after it was announced Jackson is releasing a memoir titled Lovely One.
