Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and daughter, Leila, with husband, Dr. Patrick Graves Jackson, behind them
Photo: Sarahbeth Maney
… daughter Leila Jackson has pride in her smile
Children can illustrate so much about their feelings toward their parents in a variety of ways.
Pride is one of them, and the daughter of the newest justice of the U.S. Supreme Court showed that in the hearings for her mother a few weeks ago.
The photo that was captured by a woman for the New York Times went viral because she captured a moment in which the youngster’s approval was so precious.
This justice was was treated with horrific disrespect but people with character beneath hers, but this photo illustrates that this is a family that America should be proud of.
How did the photographer capture this?
The photographer was an African-American woman, Sarahbeth Maney, who was asked to shoot the proceedings for the newspaper.
But few images from this week’s hearings have resonated as widely as one photograph Ms. Maney, 26, took on the first day.In it, Judge Jackson is smiling in the foreground but out of focus. The real subject is her teenage daughter Leila Jackson, who is seated behind the Supreme Court nominee and beaming with pride.
Ms. Maney was standing on a step stool on the left side of the courtroom behind the Senate, cater-cornered from Judge Jackson and her family members.
“I just remember seeing Judge Jackson smiling a lot, and I think she was receiving compliments and praise,” Ms. Maney said. “And then I noticed how proud her daughter was of her, and it gave me chills when I saw this look that her daughter gave her. It was just this look of such pride and admiration.
Gina Cheerless, “The Story Behind That Photo of Ketanji Brown Jackson and
Her Daughter,” New York Times, March 24, 2022
Inspirational to mothers
The photo captured the hearts of many mothers on social media, and they were thrilled with it on many levels,
The image resonated with thousands of users across social media, especially mothers, who found the moment between Judge Jackson and her daughter to be inspirational.
People have called it “mom goals in a photo,” and said that “this look of pride in Justice Jackson’s daughter’s eye speak volumes about what this means for little girls of color.”
“We marvel at our children this way all the time,” another wrote, “but how often do we catch this level of pride and adoration from child to parent?
Gina Cheerless, New York Times, March 24, 2022
Love and admiration? What more could a mother ask for in life?
Family Values
The Justice’s family background is impressive. When she was born both of her parents were teachers in the Washington, D.C. school system. Johnny and. Ellery Brown eventually moved to Miami where the father could attend law school.
Daughter Kentanji excelled in school in Miami, particularly in her oratory. She became a national champion, and in her travels visited Harvard, where she earned both an undergraduate and law degrees.
The Justice entered law school in 1993, and she became an editor of the prestigious Law Review, just as a Black U.S. president had done years earlier.
In 1996, she married a man she had met at Harvard, Patrick Graves Jackson who is now a surgeon. The two very different. The future justice was black and had been discouraged by a high school guidance counselor from attending Harvard. Dr. Jackson was white and his family had attended Harvard for generations.
He is seated behind her in the picture.
They are the parents of two daughters, Talia and Leila.
In essence, this family is the quintessential American family.
And that young lady is so proud of her mom.
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