Michelle Obama: Jackson confirmation gives Black girls and women ‘a new dream to dream’

Former First Lady Michelle Obama praised the historic confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be the Supreme Court’s first Black female justice on Thursday, thanking Jackson for giving Black girls and women “a new dream to dream.”

In an Instagram post Thursday, Obama said she was moved to see Jackson confirmed.

“Like so many of you, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride—a sense of joy—to know that this deserving, accomplished Black woman will help chart our nation’s course,” she wrote. “So many women of color now have a new role model to look up to as she serves on the highest court of the land.”

“Thank you, Justice Jackson, for giving Black girls and women everywhere—including my daughters—a new dream to dream, a new path to forge, and a future we can all be hopeful for,” Obama said.

Former President Barack Obama also celebrated Jackson’s confirmation on Twitter, saying that it is “a great day for America, and a proud moment in our history.”

The former president and first lady joined other politicians and celebrities in praising Jackson’s confirmation, including Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Hillary Clinton, Ben Stiller and Kathy Griffin.

Senators voted 53-47 to confirm Jackson. In addition to the court’s first Black woman to serve as a justice, she will also be its first former public defender.