Nation’s first Black woman to serve Supreme Court tells students to tackle challenges with confidence.
By Saige Washington & Carlos Merlo, Staff Reporters
Toros packed the Loker Student Union ballroom Oct. 23 to welcome U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
Jackson visited campus as part of the Presidential Distinguished Lecture Series. She discussed her memoir Lovely One, reflected on her journey in the legal profession, and shared advice with students about confidence, kindness and perseverance.
The standing-room-only event marked a historic moment for CSUDH, as public appearances by sitting justices is a rare occurrence.
Jackson was introduced by CSUDH President Thomas A. Parham, who established the Distinguished Lecture Series in 2018 as a platform to discuss contemporary issues and critical discourse. Jackson’s appearance follows in the footsteps of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and former California Attorney General and Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Parham, who will retire in December after seven years at the helm of CSUDH, acknowledged the historic moment during his introduction of Jackson. The president described Jackson’s position as a “smile from the ancestors.”
“[She] is an affirming nod to the contemporary generations of elders and adults who thank her for representing the full measure of her cultural essence and integrity, with an uncompromising clarity and an aspirational feeling of hope and enlightenment from the younger generations of those yet to be born,” Parham said.
When Jackson took the stage, she advised Toro students “work hard, be kind, and proceed with boldness.”
“If there is a key takeaway from my own success story, it is that with diligence, ordinary humans can do extraordinary things,” Jackson said. “I strongly believe the only real difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary is hard work.”
A graduate of Harvard Law School, Jackson was nominated by former President Joe Biden, who chose her to replace Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson was confirmed by the Senate in April 2022, making her the 116th person to serve the high court.
“It has taken 232 years and 115 prior appointments for a Black woman to be selected to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, but we’ve made it,” said Jackson the day after her Senate confirmation. “We’ve made it—all of us.”
During her address to CSUDH, Jackson emphasized that success depends not only on hard work but also on kindness and the relationships built through treating others with respect.
“Successful people need other people to support them, and much of that support is earned over time by how you treat others, both professionally and personally,” she said.
Jackson also encouraged students to make a positive impact on others and to approach the future with confidence, guided by integrity and doing what is right. “Do the right thing and everything else figures itself out.”
Following her speech, Jackson joined President Parham for a discussion about states’ rights and how her family history shaped her career. Jackson advised Toros to “stay engaged…in order to ensure that we can continue to maintain a free and fair democracy.”
Paul Fornelli, a faculty communications lecturer, described Jackson’s visit as a “jewel in the crown” for the campus community.
Marketing student Christopher Hernandez told The Bulletin seeing someone who shares his background and experiences achieve such success made him feel proud and inspired.
“Being bold stuck out the most. Just put yourself out there, don’t be afraid to fail, that is natural,” Hernandez said. “Just pick yourself up and keep going. Something I definitely need to do more of that.”
Andrew Cisneros, a business information systems student, echoed Hernandez, saying it was an honor to hear from someone of Jackson’s stature.
“Her three points of advice were basically, be bold, be kind, and work hard. Three principles that are so simple and fairly universal but, like, they speak to me,” Cisneros said. “It was just her opening, but it was powerful and it fell all throughout her message.”