POST #2 Raquel Rodriguez

The United States of America has been around for 250 years; during those years, there were people who changed the way this country has run things. These changemakers were met with resistance, while some were met with harm or prison time. However, they did not let their voices go unheard. Instead, during their harsh times, they were loud and unstoppable. When I was doing my research on the changemaker I chose, Alice Paul (for group four, 1900s), I remembered learning how fierce and bold she was. During the hardship of her arrest, she only got louder by addressing the issues of America. Women didn’t have the right to vote. Alice Paul’s bold methods and loud voice eventually gave women the right to put their names on a ballot and choose a candidate that they feel will help the country thrive. Alice Paul was one of many changemakers that were presented throughout every group’s presentation—groups ranged from the 1700s to the 2000s. Every century in the U.S.A. has brought about significant changes. However, I feel that for this blog it would be appropriate to cover the changemakers of this century. Group three specifically covered these changemakers, and while I was reviewing their PowerPoints, I admired the presentation format and how knowledgeable the speakers were on their changemaker. Group three taught us about the strength, resilience, and impact that the changemakers of the 2000s had on America by changing the laws to make the country improve where we were struggling.

To begin, two changemakers that group three presented were minority women in the Supreme Court who brought a positive impact with the laws. The first one discussed was Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was born in Miami, educated at Harvard, and became the first Black female and public defender to become a Supreme Court justice. She attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School, where she excelled in her debate team. Then, she served as an assistant public defender for 2 years in Washington, D.C., where she handled appeals for people convicted of federal crimes who cannot afford counsel. Later, she became the first public defender ever to serve on the Supreme Court and the first justice since Thurgood Marshall to bring expertise in criminal defense to the court. In her most recent Supreme Court case ruling on whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act authorized the president to impose tariffs, a six-to-three ruling with Judge Jackson participating in the majority decision stated that it does not authorize the president's power to be limitless when dealing with “unusual and extraordinary threats.” I felt that Louie did a great job telling her story to the class. He really emphasized the impact that Jackson had on the Supreme Court system and America as a whole. Justice Jackson serves as a role model for those interested in pursuing a legal career, even if they are concerned about personal biases. Jackson showed that it doesn’t matter where you come from; success will find you no matter what. 

To continue, another influential justice that group three presented was Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Sonia Sotomayor was presented by Giselle and is one of the nine members of the Supreme Court (including Justice Jackson), the third ever female, and the first Hispanic to become a part of the Supreme Court. Having graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and Yale law school in 1979, she was nominated by the George W. Bush administration to join district court for the southern district of New York in 1992. Then in 2009 she was nominated by Barack Obama and became an associate Supreme Court justice. Justice Sotomayor has been involved in many Supreme Court cases, but in my opinion, the most influential was Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Justice Sotomayor voted to make same-sex marriages legal, which expanded marriage rights to include couples of the same gender and affirmed that LGBTQ+ people are entitled to equal protective rights under the constitution. Alongside being a Supreme Court justice, she is a public speaker and youth mentor and talks about civic responsibility, perseverance, and participation. She actively speaks at universities—even coming to Miami Dade College once. During that time, she addressed students on democracy, civic responsibility, and the rule of law. Her visit was attended by numerous people and emphasized her impact on the local level. Someone Giselle interviewed had this to say, “She has a lot of strength and owns the room. It seems like whatever she sets her mind to she does. She talked about her immigration story and spoke specifically to marginalized people, which provided hope to those who needed it…” Giselle did a wonderful job presenting Sonia Sotomayor’s life. Her story inspired me the most because of her hard work ethic and her belief in herself. Even though she started from nothing, I feel that because of those skills she has, she was able to impact the United States and help the country grow into more freedom.

 

To summarize, changemakers from the past are present in history through their efforts to produce change in the U.S. over time, showing that change has always happened via individuals who made it their mission to challenge the norm. Alice Paul is one such individual that helped pave a way for the rights we sometimes forget; specifically, women have the right to vote. Her efforts have provided future generations with the opportunity to continue trying to make every human being equal. Today, we see that change is still happening with the likes of Ketanji Brown Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor, who continue to exemplify what it means to promote change through the law, officials, and actions as changemakers within the Supreme Court. The decisions made within the Supreme Court are examples of how much our country has advanced, providing the opportunity for everyone, no matter race/ethnicity or gender identity. Decisions made by those members, such as Obergefell v. Hodges and other decisions, give us an idea of how modern changemakers impact millions of people regarding civil and human rights. When analyzing these individuals from the past, we can see how much each generation has produced individuals who challenge injustice and continue to "pave the way" for society to progress. When we learn about changemakers, we realize that if you are committed to improving yourself, your home, and the world, the possibility of change exists.