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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke at the University of Virginia on September 18. The conversation, organized by UVA Law’s Education Rights Institute, explored Jackson’s life and the perspectives she brings to the United States’ highest court.
Tickets to the free event in Old Cabell Hall went quickly, and were available on a first-come, first-served basis to UVA affiliates and community members.
Education Rights Institute Founder Kimberly Jenkins Robinson hosted the discussion with Jackson, whom she met while attending Harvard Law School. Rather than delve into her day-to-day experience as a Supreme Court justice, the event focused on the role of education in Jackson’s journey to the bench and her 2024 memoir, Lovely One.
The child of two public school teachers who encouraged learning year-round, Jackson began her education at a very early age. Beyond the classroom and science camps, an experience at her grandmother’s house when she was 8 years old deeply affected her views on education and kindness.
After laughing at a misspelled note about a broken sink, Jackson was scolded by her mother, who shared that her grandmother wrote the note and had no formal education.
“The lesson was just how grateful I was to be in a situation in which I had opportunities that my grandmother never had,” said Jackson. “That didn’t entitle me to make fun of someone who didn’t have the same gifts.”
Discussing the prejudice she encountered from elementary school to Harvard, Jackson quoted Toni Morrison: “The very serious function of racism is distraction.”
A video of Jackson and Robinson’s conversation at the UVA law school earlier in the day is available online. At press time, a recording of the evening event had not been made available.
