President Biden has an opportunity to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice to the bench after the announcement of liberal judge liberal Justice Stephen Breyer’s retirement later this year. During his campaign, Biden promised that if given the opportunity he would nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. Black women led the charge to get Biden elected to office but with the failure of the Voting Rights Act, Black woman-led organizations feared another broken campaign promise.
During the press conference announcing Breyer’s retirement, Biden said, “The person I will nominate will be someone of extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court.”
Recently, Biden reiterated his commitment to nominating a Black Woman to the nation’s highest court. Biden’s rumored top picks include Federal Judge J. Michelle Childs of South Carolina, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, judge for the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and Judge Leondra Krugar from California’s Supreme Court.
Community organizations like the Black Southern Women’s Collaborative say it is important that the historic nomination be a woman who will deliver progress not just promises for the communities.
The Black Southern Women’s Collaborative is a group of Black women organizers and executive directors committed to pooling resources and organizing insights to impact change. The six-member group is organizing to advance voting rights and civic participation and bring an end to police violence, mass incarceration, and other issues adversely impacting Black communities.
The group is led by Akilah S. Wallace, executive director of Faith in Texas; Ashley Shelton, founder, president, and CEO of The Power Coalition, Louisiana; Nse Ufot, executive director of the New Georgia Project; Rev. Rhonda Thomas, executive director of Faith in Florida; Stephanie Strong, lead organizer of Faith in Action Alabama; and Tameka Greer, executive director of the Memphis Artists for Change in Tennessee.
Memphis Artists for Change (MAC) is an artist-powered community and economic development organization that creates opportunities for community-sanctioned change in underserved neighborhoods. Tameka Daniel (Greer) founded MAC in 2012 with the goal of empowering communities to embrace their identity. She realized that the artists in her network could lead community service initiatives. She encouraged artists and partnering organizations to collaborate and help fulfill community goals. As a group, they determined that the areas of focus would be to lessen the impacts of poverty and assist families in need.
The Chicago Defender spoke with Black Southern Women’s Collaborative member, Tameka Greer, Executive Director of the Memphis Artists for Change in Tennessee about the importance of this historic nomination.
For more information on Tameka Greer and Memphis Artists for Change, visit their website at www.memphisartistsforchange.org.
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