Judge Kantanji Brown Jackson’s credentials questioned, while Purdue’s questionable nomination approved

We are showing you two sets of pictures and ask you to determine what is wrong with them? We can clearly see distinctive differences that set them apart, but there are other differences lurking that cannot be seen with the naked eye but are always present as people of color find themselves nominated for top levels of anything in our country. What you cannot see from the photos is how the two persons were treated when nominated for distinctive roles in our country.

 The top picture is of President Joe Biden during a press conference with Judge Katanji Brown Jackson, whom he presented to the American people as his nominee to become the next member of the U. S. Supreme Court. Jackson will become the first Black woman to sit on the highest court in our land if confirmed.

 The bottom picture is of Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp with former Georgia Governor and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue. Kemp has recently selected Perdue to become the next chancellor of Georgia’s public university system.

Many immediately applauded Biden on his selection, while several Republican lawmakers, officials, and pundits immediately criticized Biden’s nomination of Jackson as “radical.” For the record, Judge Brown Jackson graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, Cum Laude from Harvard Law, & was the editor of the Harvard Law review. She also clerked for retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. Jackson is a Harvard graduate who clerked for Justice.

A Fox News host had the audacity to attack both the name and the academic credentials of Judge Jackson. While demanding to see her LSAT scores he said, “So, it might be time for Joe Biden to let us know what Ketanji Brown Jackson’s LSAT score was,” the host added. “Wonder how she did on the LSATs? Why won’t he tell us that? The news host went on and on. He was doing what has become the norm, questioning a Black person’s intelligence when they are being elevated to a higher role. 

As for Perdue, the Georgia Board of Regents recently voted – without opposition – to name the former two-term Governor with no higher education experience to become the next chancellor, which includes the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech, and Georgia State and Kennesaw State University.

Many faculty members, students, and some (former) board of regent members were divided on the idea of Kemp putting Perdue at the head of the University System of Georgia. There were several concerns, but the chief criticism was Perdue lacked administrative experience in higher education. His deficiency did not stop his trajectory to the top role in Georgia, nor was his intelligence level questioned or requests made to see his college test scores.

To ensure that he received the votes, Kemp turned objectors into ‘former members’ of the board of regents. He removed those members who dared to challenge him and who were openly opposed to Perdue. He replaced them with new members that would do as they were told by Kemp and vote yes for Perdue. 

Perdue, 75, will step into his new comfy role that has been carved out and presented on a silver platter by Kemp. Perdue is scheduled to start on April 1. Many say Perdue is getting something he has not earned, and Georgia has been made a laughingstock in the educational world yet again. But who cares about the state being the punch line for the latest joke? Perdue is the right hue, so credential is damned. As for the politicians and pundits, they are silent as Perdue breezes into his new role, minus the questions that Jackson has been subjected to.

Jackson will spend the next several weeks making the rounds on capitol hill, meeting with lawmakers, and trying to win their support for her nomination. 

So, I will ask you the question I asked at the top of this story, what is different between these two pictures? If you said Black woman, you win the door prize. 

Regardless of what elevated levels we achieve in life, questions are ever-present and will always be there because of the color of our skin. Being Black will always be enough reason for others to call into question our intelligence, even if we are smarter than they are. Being Black and being a woman means we will always be subjected to the worst treatment of all, regardless of our education and background.