Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson honored with street renaming in Miami-Dade: 'This is where I got my start'
MIAMI -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was honored Monday with a street renaming ceremony in the same community that she grew up in and which fueled her groundbreaking ascent in legal circles.
Speaking to a host of dignitaries during a ceremony at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center, Jackson said she was proud to accept the honor.
"This is as much a celebration of us as it is of me," she said. "I say that because I grew up among many of you. This is where I got my start (and) learned how to lean in (and) be resilient and learn to believe in myself and what I could do if given the opportunity."
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Street can be found on SW 184th Street between Old Cutler Road and Caribbean Boulevard.
The Miami-Dade County Commission voted unanimously last October to approve legislation by Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins to co-designate a major arterial road in south Miami-Dade County as Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Street.
Jackson, who graduated from Palmetto High School, is the first Black woman to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court and the first justice on the high court to come from Miami-Dade County, according to county officials.
Jackson was raised in south Dade County, where both of her parents still live.
"She has set a groundbreaking example for countless Black women and girls to keep reaching for their dreams," said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava during opening remarks. "I feel personally transformed and elevated to celebrate with you today."
During her remarks to participants, Jackson said the community that she sprang from has propelled her to new heights.
"This is a wonderful place to grow up," she said. "People from here and elsewhere really can follow their dreams (and) I hope that is the takeaway from this street naming event."