We're ready for a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court
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Good morning, BTV!
On Jan. 26, reports shared that longtime Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer has decided to step down from the high court after serving for nearly three decades. This paves the way for President Joe Biden to make good on his promise — one of many — to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court.
"The person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience and integrity, and that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court," President Biden said after learning of Breyer's retirement.
Biden's clear goal of appointing a Black woman to the highest court in the land is groundbreaking. But the purpose of this appointment goes deeper than just making history.
"Having a Black woman on the Supreme Court is about far more than sending a powerful message about representation and inclusion, although those things are not insignificant," writes Ben Jealous, president of People For the American Way. in his guest USA TODAY column. "At its core, it is about improving the quality of decision-making and justice that takes place there."
With voting rights being threatened in many states, a Black woman on the Supreme Court is just what we need to protect civil rights.
Here's what else you'll find in this week's newsletter:
Andrea Willis, chief medical officer at BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, gives some helpful tips in her latest guest column to better manage your health in 2020.
The Rev. J. Lawrence Turner, who serves as the committee chairman of the newly formed African American Clergy Collective of Tennessee, writes about why the collective was formed and why Tennessee's marginalized communities deserve protection.
Though my Titans were not successful in their divisional playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, there's always hope for next year.
Hopefully your teams are still in the fight.
Have a blessed weekend!
LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the curator of the Black Tennessee Voices newsletter. Feel free to contact him at LHill@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @hill_bron or Instagram at @antioniohill12.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: We're ready for a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court
