You are a person that is so much more than your race and gender. You have earned this spot. You are worthy.
VOL. 78 - THURSDAY, MARCH 24
I stand on the shoulders of many who have come before me, including Judge Constance Baker Motley, who was the first African American woman to be appointed to the federal bench and with whom I share a birthday. And like Judge Motley, I have dedicated my career to ensuring that the words engraved on the front of the Supreme Court building—"Equal Justice Under Law" — are a reality and not just an ideal. Thank you for this historic chance to join the highest Court, to work with brilliant colleagues, to inspire future generations, and to ensure liberty and justice for all.
- A quote from Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s opening statement at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing
Happy Thursday, #NoteddTribe. Today is day four of watching our new hero Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson shine at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing. We’ve been glued to the television and our phones for news updates as we watch history be made this week. We also acknowledge that this may be triggering for those who have been in a similar position to what we can all imagine Judge Jackson may be feeling during this time.
As individuals who have honestly only watched two hearings in their lifetimes, now three, we can’t say that these last three have been at all identical. However, one thing is true it appears that it’s more about seeking virality at the expense of someone’s life and career being thoroughly examined. It’s more about political theater, on either side of the aisle, than what these hearings are defined to be. According to the Georgetown Law Library, a Supreme Court confirmation hearing is the opportunity for the Senate Judiciary Committee to “question the nominee on his or her qualifications, judgment, and philosophy.”
Many of the questions asked by Republicans particularly have been made to either scrutinize Judge Jackson’s work as a public defender or nearly decade-long career as a judge. Many of the questions asked by these senators are attempts to misrepresent her thoughts and views. Some GOP senators would either interrupt her or wouldn’t even allow her a moment to answer the questions that were being asked of her, and appeared to be more curious about her identity as a Black woman than her competency to become the next Supreme Court justice. But yet, many of us know that Judge Jackson can’t have the same reactions as the ones that now Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed during his hearing in 2018. Given the Angry Black woman stereotype, we aren’t honestly given a space to react.
Although Judge Jackson was incredibly gracious and poised throughout this week, we appreciated that she didn’t always smile through or even hold back tears during the unconformable moments. There were moments of subtle reaction through her facial expressions or even during the moments when she paused and breathed (we’ll get into this in the Honorable Mentions section.)
She’s a human being like all of us, deserving and overqualified for a position that she has sacrificed and worked damn hard for. In her article, Forbes Senior Contributor Dana Brownlee stated this quote that we believe is true. She said, “On one hand, her [Judge Jackson’s] history-making testimony suggests that equity is within reach, but watching her struggle to get there, we’re reminded that we still have a long way to go.”
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Tomorrow is the LAST day to share your response to our community survey! Over the last few months, we’ve been working with Georgetown University graduate student Zema Meseretu. As part of her final project, she is researching millennial BIPOC women’s views on in-person and online communities to help Notedd better serve our community members like YOU! Click the link here to take this quick survey. Your response will help us learn how to best serve and support you in this platform, but you’ll also be helping a student achieve one of the most significant milestones in their graduate student journey.
At the end of another grueling day of questioning at the Supreme Court confirmation hearing, we witnessed the power of affirmations with New Jersey Senator Corey Booker affirming Judge Jackson’s worth and value as the great American that she is. It is a special feeling to be affirmed and praised, especially by others, but do you give yourself high praise, too? Are you noting and journaling all of the fantastic things you do each day? Let’s talk about it this weekend!
Join our founder, Lauren Strayhorn, and mindset coach, Teyonna Ridgeway, as they share best practices to create your own affirmations and ways to start journaling with intention.
RSVP here to secure your spot. We can’t wait to see you there!
Have you cut the cord or haven’t had a chance to watch the Supreme Court confirmation hearings live? We got you! Check out these resources that provide takeaways from the last three days and what’s expected to happen for the rest of the week.
READ: Ketanji Brown Jackson’s opening statement at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing
Here Are 5 Things To Know After The First Day Of Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Confirmation Hearing
What happened on Day 2 of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings
5 takeaways from Day 3 of the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings
Pride, joy, inspiration, validation: What Black women see in Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination
We recognize Sierra Jenkins, a 25-year-old education reporter for The Virginian-Pilot who was killed during a shooting outside of a restaurant and bar in Norfolk, VA. The Virginian-Pilot tweeted that she covered the stories of Hampton Roads with compassion and care for two years and previously worked at Atlanta Magazine and CNN. Her legacy now lives on through her work here.
Make sure you grab your Zyrtec, Flonase, and Claritin now. Allergy season is expected to be even longer this year, with the amount of pollen to “skyrocket” due to climate change. Learn how to protect yourself this season here.
The Polo Ralph Lauren Exclusively for Morehouse and Spelman Colleges Collection will be available soon. A collection that revises the vision of the American Dream inspired by the style of HBCUs will be available on March 29 at ralphlauren.com. If you’re a student, faculty member, or alum 💁🏾♀️, you can shop early access on March 28.
Citigroup recently joined Match Group and Bumble in helping cover travel costs for employees seeking abortions in a different state; what’s interesting is that the CEOs of all three companies are women. Learn more here.
And finally, a step forward! The House of Representatives recently passed the CROWN Act, which would ban hair-related discrimination. As we’ve notedd in previous issues, 12 states have passed a version of the CROWN Act with bipartisan support with even more states who have either filed or pre-filed the legislation. The bill now goes to the Senate, but employers should consider reviewing their grooming policies sooner than later, as the National Law Review pointed out.
The Root recently highlighted and interviewed Dawn Staley, the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks. There are 12 Black female head coaches in the women’s NCAA tournament this year. The number of Black women-led teams in the tournament have doubled since last year, and Staley acknowledges this achievement but notes the need for more Black women-led teams in women’s college basketball.
Singer and songwriter Ashanti recently became the first Black female artist to partner and co-own a web3 company. She is partnering with EQ exchange, a woman-owned company with a mission “to ensure artists have ownership over their intellectual property and connect more directly with their target audiences.”
We are glad to see this week’s reporting that US basketball star Brittney Griner is doing well, but to Rep. Cori’s Bush point, the news would be different if she wasn’t a Black woman.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
We are huge fans of GirlTrek, a public health nonprofit that encourages African-American women and girls to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families, and communities. They recently kicked off their Black History Bootcamp Podcast. This 21-day walking meditation series celebrates Black stories and recalls the lessons of past and present historical figures, legends, and change-makers to help guide listeners through these uncertain times. When you sign up, you will receive daily curated emails with tips, speeches, and dedicated songs to listen to for each episode. It’s not too late to jump in!
As mentioned earlier, it appears that many senators, particularly Republican senators, were hoping to make Judge Jackson out to be the Angry Black woman stereotype that we all are too familiar with. Throughout the daily hearings, we all witnessed Judge Jackson release a breath before responding to some very odd questions, and this is what Mindfulness & Breathwork Coach Zee Clark recommends as well, but also with a few more steps. She points out that Black women know subconsciously we are “less likely to be afforded the same grace” that our white counterparts (Can we say again, Brett Kavanaugh?) experience when we express emotion in the workplace. Thus, she created the B.R.E.A.T.H.E. technique to support us process through the anger, and not suppress it.
Be Angry.
Release the anger with your breath.
Elevate your heart rate.
Assess and act.
Treat yourself.
Heal.
One of our favorite newsletters for journaling is Austin Channing Brown’s Her Full Self. Brown’s newsletter provides tips and resources for Black women on their journey to becoming creative entrepreneurs, but we find that her newsletter is a great resource for any Black woman in their journeys of living, growing, and achieving in this crazy world we call life. She recently shared an experience of going through the process of an opportunity that unfortunately fell through. Brown explains that the process of hoping, dreaming, and planning, but the waiting can be the most challenging. Her journal prompts can help you work through that moment of waiting and how expressing gratitude and a little music can guide you on the other side.
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