valencia Writes

Why does “Tuck The Lying Dragon” want to know Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s LSAT Scores? (I apologize, but I do not want to include his name in this post because I do not want to promote the inaccurate information I believe he provides to his viewers.)

Here are a few reasons I can think of:

1. Because if the score isn’t what he feels it should be, he can use it to invalidate every other academic and professional achievement she’s had since then.
2. So he can state that she only got into Harvard due to affirmative action and that she didn’t deserve to go there in the first place. Also to claim that she “kicked out” someone more deserving in his opinion.
3. To stir up the conservative base because he can’t easily dismiss her education, experience, etc without actually looking like the racist that we believe him to be.
4. He’s jealous. She went to Harvard Law; arguably the best law school in the country.

What he fails to realize is:

1. Harvard Law doesn’t admit people with poor LSAT scores and poor academic records.
2. A standardized test score taken in a person’s early 20s isn’t always a valid measurement of one’s current capabilities.
3. The legal knowledge she obtained throughout her education and work experience has more relevance with regards to her performance on the Supreme Court. #JudgeKetanjiBrownJackson

I have never done well on standardized tests. When I took the SAT in 1990 and 1991, I scored no higher than an 880 out of 1600. Still, I had a GPA of over 4.0 in high school.

I graduated from college with two BA degrees in 4 years- one in English and the other in Psychology. I graduated Cum Laude. I achieved this while working four jobs on campus.

In 2007, I worked full time as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor while attending an online Masters Degree program at @universityofky . I graduated in December 2008 with a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling. My final GPA was 3.8.

My SAT scores did not predict my capabilities as a student. They also don’t invalidate more than 23 years of work experience in the Journalism and Human Services fields.

But hey, T.C. keep focusing on Judge Brown’s LSATs. Wait…what were yours?

The Broader Picture

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is the definition of Black Excellence. Some people are very threatened by Black Excellence. They want to assume that those of us who succeed are only doing so because of Affirmative Action policies or quota systems. They believe such systems are responsible for persons of color (who they feel are unqualified) being admitted into colleges or hired for jobs over qualified white candidates.

Despite the fact that there is no empirical evidence to support this position, it has been a staple of belief for individuals think black and brown people don’t have the intelligence to perform at the same level as their non-white counterparts.

The thing is, that if they believe it is true, that we are inherently less intelligent than Caucasian people, then you have to consider the possible reasons why there are fewer individuals of color in positions of authority.

Since our DNA is identical, one would have to conclude that there are other reasons for the socioeconomic disparity between races. One root cause of this disparity would be that the educational systems in predominately black and brown areas are not as well-funded as those in majority white neighborhoods.

Schools are funded, in part, by real estate property taxes. The more homes are worth in a particular area, the better funded the schools are in that area. Those schools can afford to provide students with updated technology, newer textbooks, and other materials. Rural and urban areas do not have these same opportunities.

When the education gap is widened due to economic status, it creates a system where it is difficult to climb out of poverty.

Richer areas also have more resources than those in poorer neighborhoods. Children have access to community organizations as well as private institutions that can provide support and assistance. Teachers are paid higher salaries in these areas. They can afford to recruit educators with the best credentials.

In my humble opinion, quality of achievement across all demographics can only be achieved when we have equality of opportunity and equality of resources.

As citizens of this country, and as voters, we have a duty to ensure that we elect leaders who will work toward improving the United States for every individual. Regardless of political party, we need to make sure that we do not re-elect senators and representatives who don’t enact policies on our behalf.

We need to do this on the local and state levels as well as the federal level. If we want legislation to change, we have to vote to change it. That is our charge.