海角大神

In 2013, as she watched President Barack Obama鈥檚 second inauguration, 7-year-old Veronica Bofah decided she wanted to be just like him. She would go to Harvard and one day be president, too.

Nine years later, the memories are fuzzy, but she remembers everyone around her pointing to Barack and Michelle Obama as the power couple of the moment, and how few Black leaders, especially Black women, she learned about in school.

鈥淎t that age, I didn鈥檛 see many influential Black figures who went to Ivy League or really elite schools,鈥� Ms.聽Bofah聽said. 鈥淚 like to put quotations around that because it鈥檚 very subjective, but that time period was when I started idolizing him. That鈥檚 what led me to want to become a role model to other young girls who like look like me.鈥�

Now 17, Ms. Bofah has shifted her sights from the presidency to law school. The teenager from Charlotte, North Carolina, wants to represent vulnerable people like immigrants and children who are at a disadvantage when it comes to navigating the legal system. To see Ketanji Brown Jackson, a Black woman and former public defender, nominated to the Supreme Court, felt both empowering and affirming of her own path forward.

鈥淗aving someone who knows what it鈥檚 like to support clients who are disadvantaged in the system ... I think that鈥檚 kind of what makes her unique,鈥� Ms. Bofah聽said.

For Black girls, the possibility of Judge Jackson being the first Black woman on the Supreme Court is a moment of promise, hope, and the breaking of yet another barrier. But while the symbolism resonates deeply, many are hungry for deeper change that goes beyond just representation.

Rachel McBride, an 18-year-old high school senior in Atlanta, likened the moment more to a glass elevator than a glass ceiling聽鈥� moving one level up, while keeping in mind the many more levels left to go.

鈥淚t鈥檚 great to be the first, but you never want to be the last,鈥� Ms.聽McBride聽said. 鈥淥ne singular person can鈥檛 be the one to make change. It has to be followed up by more and more people that are willing to make change.鈥�

When barriers are broken, Ms. McBride said, it is often followed by backlash or a feeling that marginalized communities should be satisfied with the symbolism. While Judge Jackson would bring an invaluable perspective to the court, Ms. McBride said, it is not lost on her that the balance of the court would remain unchanged if Judge Jackson were confirmed.

Already, some have tried to diminish Judge Jackson鈥檚 nomination as affirmative action or discrimination against white people. Whether that strategy continues as her Senate hearing gets underway Monday is something that will be widely watched.

But those who say that are failing to see how unimpeachable Judge Jackson鈥檚 accomplishments are, Ms. McBride said, from the judge鈥檚 Ivy League degree to her experience on the bench.

Ms. McBride said it reminded her of attending a summer camp for media studies at the University of Georgia a few years ago. She said she did twice the work of her classmates but was still accused of slacking off by the instructor.

鈥淭he really, really stressful thing about being Black, specifically being a Black woman, is that you have to be the best in order to get anywhere,鈥� Ms. McBride said.

For Black girls, seeing someone like Judge Jackson聽鈥� the way she wears her hair, her darker complexion, having a name with African origins聽鈥� fully embrace her Blackness and ascend to the top of the American judicial system is a reminder that they should not have to shrink themselves in order to succeed.

Breana Fowler, a 17-year-old high school senior in Charlotte who wants to become a lawyer, said her mother used to joke that she would become the first Black woman to be a Supreme Court justice. To see the moment at hand much sooner than either of them thought possible, with someone like Judge Jackson in the role, remains surreal.

鈥淪he wears her hair loud and proud,鈥� Ms. Fowler said. 鈥淥ftentimes, brown-skinned and dark-skinned girls are the ones that are ridiculed a lot about their intelligence, their looks. For her to be confident and for her to look like that and be a Supreme Court nominee, I think a lot of Black girls really resonated with that. I know I did.鈥�

Black women are often told their natural hair is unprofessional, said Tamara Morgan, 18, an Atlanta high school senior. Their natural appearances are held against them, and used to take away from their qualifications, she said.

That鈥檚 why seeing Black women in leadership who embrace their identity means so much to Ms. Morgan. She said it鈥檚 like looking into a mirror and seeing herself and what鈥檚 possible.

鈥淲hen I look at women like Stacey Abrams and Ms. Jackson, I just feel as though there鈥檚 room and there鈥檚 space for me in the world and a lot of other women that look just like us,鈥� Ms. Morgan said. Ms. Abrams, a Democrat, is making her second run for Georgia governor in 2022.

In her first public remarks after being nominated, Judge Jackson alluded to the significance of the moment for young girls. If confirmed, she said, she hoped that her 鈥渓ife and career, my love of this country and the Constitution, and my commitment to upholding the rule of law and the sacred principles upon which this great nation was founded, will inspire future generations of Americans.鈥�

For many girls, Judge Jackson has already done that through her career and track record leading up to her nomination.

Sidney Griffin, a 16-year-old junior in Charlotte who has participated in youth advocacy campaigns including ones for diversity in school curriculum and tuition equity for students covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program said this moment drove her to think even bigger.

鈥淪he鈥檚 definitely inspiring me to continue to create change in my community,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut it also makes me wonder how much more can I do to impact not just Charlotte, but North Carolina and I mean, America? She is inspiring little girls everywhere and teenagers like myself to continue to fight for change and to diversify the people that are in power who get to make these decisions that will influence us today and for generations to come.鈥�

This story was reported by The Associated Press. The Associated Press鈥� reporting around issues of race and ethnicity is supported in part by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute鈥檚 Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.