The Woman in the Arena
by Robert Hackman
Picture from Our News Today
All I’m askin’
Is for a little respect
From the song ‘Respect’
By Aretha Franklin
Theodore Roosevelt’s words from his famous speech about the (person) in the arena being the one to be admired and the poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer and twisted pride in cynicism.
Roosevelt proceeds to say, ‘There is no more unhealthy being, no (person) less worthy of respect, than (the person) who either really holds, or feigns to hold an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty…The credit belongs to the (person) in the arena who strives valiantly, who errs…because there is no effort without shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions who spends (herself) in a worthy cause.’
You can listen to the entire speech through the attached URL below the picture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A311CnTjfos
There have only been three non-white justices on the supreme court throughout our nation’s history, Thurgood Marshall, Clarence Thomas, and Latina justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The court has had only five female members: Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barret, and Sotomayor. Currently, three women serve on the court.
In a meritorious system, are we to believe that only three non-white and seven women have warranted confirmation to the court during all that time?
The courage required to retain the belief that you are worthy of the highest offices in the face of persistent evidence informing you that you are unworthy is difficult to fathom.
With that in mind, I found it maddening to listen to the distortions, disrespect, and humiliation put forth by members of the Senate judiciary committee towards judge Jackson during her confirmation hearings.
The majority of the questions and comments had nothing to do with her career, decisions, or writing. They were posed by cynics outside the arena interested in how their theatrics impacted their Twitter feeds. Those who, as Roosevelt implored us, warrant our derision.
Judge Khatanji Brown Jackson, the woman in the arena, deserves our extraordinary admiration, praise, and respect.
Women and people of color need champions, not detractors. Inclusion is a ‘contact‘ sport. It is incumbent on us to engage in conversation and relationships with people different than us.
When we do not speak up about wrongs when we see them, we commit crimes of commission through omission.
Please reach out to me if you want to engage in uncommonly candid conversations or have them facilitated with your team or your organization. I welcome the discussion.
Robert Hackman is the founder and principal of 4C Consulting and Coaching. He provides executive coaching for leadership impact, growth, and development for individuals, teams, and organizations. Committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, he facilitates trusting environments that promote unusually candid conversations. Rob is also passionate about the power of developing Legacy Mindsets and has conducted over 50 Legacy interviews with people to date.
A serious man with a dry sense of humor who loves absurdity can often be found hiking rocky elevations or making music playlists. His mixes, including Pandemic Playlists and Music About Men, among others, can be found on Spotify.