I sat spellbound watching the Senate confirmation process of Ketanji Brown Jackson the last week in March 2022. I was most impressed by her kind demeanor and her thoughtful responses to GOP Senators who evidently were out to "throw a bone" to their conservative constituents. Obviously, mid-term elections are coming in the Fall '22; and they wanted those watching to be acutely aware of their strong stance against pedophiles and their support of family values. I am sure they were probably sincere in their convictions, but I found it difficult to understand why they saw the need to sensationalize facts without looking at the whole context. Now, please understand this strong assertion is not the "norm" that is expected from me with my political conservative views. Yes, I am a white, conservative; and if you must hate me for it, so be it. But, I really appreciated Brown Jackson's response and I think she is going to make a fantastic Supreme Court Justice. Why? First of all, she exuded strong character, a deep faith, and a diplomatic determination during the entire confirmation process. God bless her! I would have wanted to "yell" at Graham, Hawley, Cruz, and Blackburn for their "gotcha" questions and assumptions. There are times I truly do agree with these civil servants; but as I watched them in action, I had a difficult recognizing any type of diplomacy. I was mostly appalled at Senator Graham who justified his actions by comparing it to the fiasco at the Kavanaugh Senate Confirmation process. Does it really make sense to justify one bad deed against an even worse deed? However, it did prompt me to make time to read about the decisions of Judge Brown-Jackson in several cases against pedophiles. Why would these senators who had not participated in any of these trials believe she should have given more severe sentences? Do these few decisions out of thousands portray a soft attitude towards crime or sexual crimes? No! It could reflect a heart of compassion that accompanied her response: "There but for the grace of God, go I" (This phrase was first spoken by the English evangelical preacher and martyr, John Bradford (1510–1555) https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings.) Let's just call it like it is. These senators were simply grandstanding for the sake of upcoming elections. This was not fair to Judge Brown-Jackson! Her patient pauses and discipline by not responding in kind won me over. She was determined to respond in a diplomatic manner
Her character spoke volumes!
The one attribute that I appreciated in observing her recently is her recognition of faith in God, her commitment to family and to those mentors who supported her along the way. These are values we share in common, and this significance should not be overlooked. I believe two of the reasons our country is so polarized today is contrasting ideologies of politics and the media that feeds it into a frenzy. Rather than sharing in our commonalities, we are whipped into anger at the hypocrisy of opposing political positions. Rather than viewing one another as brothers and sisters, we view the opposing party as an enemy through our political talking points.
Ketanji Brown Jackson recognizes Martin Luther King as one of her mentors. MLK, John Lewis, and the Civil Rights Movement created the term, "Good Trouble." A definition of Good Trouble is standing up for what is right and true in the midst of evil. I do not believe that any group personifies "Good Trouble" more than the nineteenth century abolitionists on the Underground Railroad. One of these heroines is Laura Smith Haviland, a 4'9" little lady who spent her life empowering slaves to freedom by starting schools, creating a network of 27 Underground stations in her county, leading slaves into freedom through Michigan into Canada, marching alongside the Union Army during the last year of the war, and finally by providing humanitarian relief for freed men and women during the Reconstruction Era, Mrs. Haviland has a community in Kansas named on her behalf because of her extraordinary work as a servant. I am blessed to live in this community. My life has been enriched by reliving her "Good Trouble" experiences. Laura Haviland realized that labels and stereotypes were not representative of truth! She spent her life uplifting all humans and destroying destructive labels. For three decades she carried a $3000 bounty on her head- never to be arrested. Haviland's life theme was "Thine for the oppressed!'
Thanks to the courage and tireless efforts of Laura Haviland, the values of faith in God and care for others shine forth. I believe that these are the strategic values that can save our country from the polarization of extremes at both ends of the political spectrum. This is why I am thankful for the historic nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson. It has been a long time in coming! This woman of distinction may have initially been chosen because of her color, but she shines brightly because of her great mind and the content of her character. May God bless her for that. I admire her and believe she will make her a good Justice of the Supreme Court. I also believe she is my sister in Christ. Shouldn't our faith be the tie that binds us together rather than partisan politics?
If you are interested in knowing more about my journey and the seven steps of Good Trouble discovered through the lifework of Laura Haviland, check out my website: undergroundangel.net and my Underground Angel YouTube Channel .