Lovely One

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, death, and racism. 

When Jackson was eight years old, her brother, Ketajh, was born. He was an active and risk-taking little boy, and their parents were less protective than they had been with Ketanji. Since they were far apart in age, they were not playmates, though Ketanji did help out at her brother’s church preschool. Growing up, Ketanji acted as a third parent to Ketajh, always trying to manage his behavior. Ketajh always had an interest in policing and became a police officer in Baltimore before enlisting in the Army. A worrier by nature, Ketanji was always scared for her brother and was relieved when he left active duty to become a lawyer.

Jackson recalls how she became busier with extracurriculars in middle school, becoming vice mayor of her class and taking lessons in chess and creative writing. At this age, Jackson was intrigued when Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court. She was further inspired by an article about Constance Baker Motley, the first Black woman to become a federal judge, among other achievements. She credits these women with showing her that such top jobs were achievable for people like herself, and she “began to aspire to more” (68).