Black Women Belong Anywhere They Want To Belong

April 7, 2022 will go down as a special day in American history, because it was the day the United States finally appointed its first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed with a vote of 53 – 47 and will replace retiring justice Stephen Breyer in June. *tosses confetti*

After suffering through the hostile hearings prior to her appointment, where ignorant and jealous republican senators showed the world what petty looks like in a suit, Justice Brown Jackson triumphed over evil and has shown the world that Black women belong anywhere they want to belong.

Celebrate this Moment

Despite the carnival of horrors happening all over the world right now, we can still take solace in the sight of a brown-skinned Black woman, sporting natural hair no less, taking her spot at the highest level of justice in the United States. This moment isn’t just about optics though, it’s about Black women claiming the seat at whatever table they feel called to inhabit.

Let’s just take a moment to look at some other trailblazing sisters who have recently showed the world that Black women belong anywhere they feel called to serve.

Black Women Belong front and Center in Irish Dance Troupes

Morgan Bullock, a recent college graduate and Virginia native, decided she wanted to take up traditional Irish dancing when she was just ten years old, and now she’s dancing in arguably the most popular Irish dance show in the world, Riverdance. Bullock is the first African-American to ever dance with the group and it was just announced that she will be dancing with the famous group in the United States for the first time when they bring their tour here this spring.

Black Women Belong in National Parks

Granted, Betty Reid Soskin announced this week that she was retiring from the National Park Service – at age 100! – but the fact that she worked there in the first place puts her firmly in the category of bad-ass Black women who show up and claim space in unchartered territory. Betty was one of only a few Black women park rangers and the oldest – at age 85  – when she started the job. But did that stop her? No, because she clearly is in the camp that firmly believes that Black women can do anything they want to, whether the door is already open for them or if they have to break it down.

Black Women Belong in Superhero Costumes

While this isn’t new information, it was news to me, so I’m going to say it fits into this post. It was recently reported that the first female Spider-Woman in the Marvel comics franchise was actually a Black woman, a librarian named Valerie who donned the mask and the spidey suit so she could protect her community from bad guys in 1974. And not only was Valerie the first Spider-Woman, she was also the first Black female superhero in the Marvel universe. Sadly, her tenure was short-lived, but it’s already being rumored that she may show up in an upcoming version of the Spiderverse. And true, Valerie isn’t real, but she is still a Black woman who decided for herself that she could be a superhero without waiting for someone to give her permission or issue an invitation. And that’s why she gets to be included in this list today.

Black Women Belong Anywhere they Want to Belong

I hope these current examples of Black women breaking barriers, being the first, and joyfully taking up space in previously all white spaces, gives you a sense of what’s possible in the world. At any age and any stage you may find yourself. Never stop dreaming of what if’s. Don’t tell yourself that that part of the world isn’t for you. If the desire is in your heart, let it lead you to your space at the table… or the dance floor.

(Featured photo by Photo by Andrea Piacquadio)