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Judge Jackson, Madeleine Albright and the legacy of being 'first'
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ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
During Ketanji Brown Jackson's confirmation hearings this week, she had a special message for two very important people - her daughters.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
KETANJI BROWN JACKSON: Girls, I know it has not been easy as I've tried to navigate the challenges of juggling my career and motherhood. And I fully admit that I did not always get the balance right. But I hope that you've seen that with hard work, determination and love, it can be done.
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JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
She spoke to the challenges of being a first - in her case, the first Black woman nominated to the Supreme Court in its more than 233-year history.
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BROWN JACKSON: When you're the first, it means no one has ever done it before like you. And there may be hundreds, thousands of people who might have wanted that opportunity and thought, I can't do that because there's no one there like me.
SHAPIRO: That's a sentiment that echoes the words of another first.
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MADELEINE ALBRIGHT: I did love being a first.
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SUMMERS: That's Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state.
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ALBRIGHT: The first person to call me to congratulate me was Henry Kissinger. He did say, by the way, welcome to the fraternity. And I said, it isn't that either anymore.
(LAUGHTER)
SHAPIRO: We learned yesterday that Albright died of cancer at the age of 84. She was known for her advice, specifically to working women and mothers as they navigated new and sometimes unfriendly spaces, despite having what she saw as a distinct advantage.
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ALBRIGHT: I think we are better at a lot - at personal relationships and then have the capability, obviously, of telling it like it is when it's necessary.
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SUMMERS: And the next generation was foremost in her mind.
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ALBRIGHT: My youngest granddaughter, when she turned 7 last year, said to her mother, my daughter, so what's the big deal about Grandma Maddie being secretary of state? Only girls are secretary of state.
(LAUGHTER)
ALBRIGHT: And her (laughter)...
(APPLAUSE)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: 'Cause in her lifetime, that's...
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ALBRIGHT: That would be so.
SHAPIRO: She advised women to support each other and speak for women's issues, even though she knew there would be pushback, like the kind she used to get in the male-dominated U.N.
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ALBRIGHT: They thought that it was kind of a soft issue. The bottom line that I decided was actually women's issues are the hardest issues because they are the ones that have to do with life and death in so many aspects.
SUMMERS: And as for women who did not feel it was their job to help each other, well, to them, she directed one of her most famous quotes during a 2011 TED Talk.
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ALBRIGHT: There's a special place in hell for women who don't help each other.
(APPLAUSE)
PAT MITCHELL: Secretary Albright, I guess you will be going to heaven.
(LAUGHTER) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
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