Growing up, I wanted to be a Supreme Court Justice. Yep, one of nine with lifelong appointments — I had lofty goals. It never occurred to me that I couldn’t fulfill that wish, and, yet, listening to Lovely One by Ketanji Brown Jackson, I quickly realized my privilege (once again). Her beautiful story is not just about her appointment to the Supreme Court. She covers racism, injustice, African American history, determination, and her own privilege. I recommend listening on Audible because she’s the narrator!
As we’re in the middle of Women’s History Month and just celebrated International Women’s Day, it seems fitting to highlight two powerful quotes that Justice Jackson used as inspiration throughout her life. Whenever she experienced inequities because of the color of her skin, her mother and grandmother shared their words of wisdom.
“Ketanji, don’t put that into the ether. Those people have nothing to do with your life. You are meant for greater things than they will ever imagine so don’t let them trouble your heart.”
“Guard your spirit, Ketanji. To dwell on the unfairness of life is to be devoured by it.”
This month — and always — let’s, like Justice Jackson, reject self-doubt and self-loathing. Let’s choose possibility and purpose.
Resources
In my first newsletter, I shared a webinar hosted by Erin Corine Johnson, Dear White Women. This is one of many webinars and calls that Erin hosts in two communities where she has created a safe space for people to listen, learn, and grow in their allyship. The speakers Erin includes in her sessions have also become must-follows for me.
Join me as a member of Erin’s The Identity & Belonging Lab — only $1 per day through the end of this month. This is HUGE because it gives you access to all of her webinars, past and present.
This post from Dante P. who was one of Erin’s guests, talking about how Americans rewrite history, especially Black history.
This article about the radical roots of International Women’s Day
Ways to Engage
I ran across a LinkedIn post that caught my attention for two reasons. First, it featured a song by Jon Batiste. Second, it included a quote from a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, poet, and teacher Thich Nhat Hanh: “This, my dear is the greatest challenge to being alive. To witness injustice in the world and not allow it to consume our light.”
What can we do to keep injustice from dimming our light?
In a post in her Accomplice Accelerator group, Erin talks about the top leadership skill we need in times like these. That is to model the behavior we want to see in others. She notes we should model adaptability and self-care, taking long breaks from consuming danger and doom on the news, hitting the resent button, and reminding yourself why you care about the issues you care about.
Make decisions with your dollars by frequenting minority-owned businesses. Here are the Top 10 Black-owned Bookstores to visit across the US.
Pass this newsletter along to 3 people, letting them know how you’re guarding your spirit to continue fighting injustice.
Quote of the Month
Empathy is not weak or woke. By the way, ‘woke’ just means you give a damn about other people.
