Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson returned to her hometown near Miami on Monday to witness the renaming of a street in her honor.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Street winds through a suburban neighborhood in Cutler Bay, just south of Miami, Politico reported. The area often features peacocks strolling through yards and roosting in oak trees.
Jackson touched on the inspiration she hoped her street-naming will give the next generation.
“I hope that this street naming will also serve as a testament to what is possible in this great country,” she said.
“This in many ways is as much a celebration of us as it is of me, and I’m saying that because I grew up among all of you.”
‘I hope that this street naming will also serve as a testament to what is possible in this great country’ — Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson returned Monday to Miami, FL, where she grew up, for a street naming ceremony in her honor pic.twitter.com/oWuy1WRf4b
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) March 6, 2023
She went on to credit her upbringing in the residential town and time studying at Miami Palmetto Senior High School for paving the way for her current role in the Supreme Court.
“This is where I got my start, and I really do believe that there is an important connection between my experience growing up in this area and my current position as associate justice,” Jackson said.
“It was while I was studying and competing and growing up here in this community that I gained self confidence in the face of challenges,” she continued.
“I learned how to lean in, in spite of obstacles, to work hard to be resilient, to strive for excellence, and to believe in myself and what I could do if given the opportunity.”
Jackson made history last year when she became the first Black woman to serve as U.S. Supreme Court justice. But she’s also the first Supreme Court justice to hail from Florida.
“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 with 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 United States, but also the first former public defender and the first associate justice who is from the great state of Florida,” she said.