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Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis joined Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congressman Al Green and other community leaders on April 20 to unveil an awe-inspiring mural of Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.

The mural was created to honor Judge Jackson’s historic confirmation as the first Black woman to the Supreme Court.

The 17- by 36-foot mural, painted by Houston artist Anat Ronen, is on Precinct One’s Youth Education Town (YET) building at Finnigan Park in a neighborhood noted for other nationally recognized African Americans, including Barbara Jordan and Mickey Leland, both of whom served in Congress.

“As a big advocate of public art, I’m extremely proud that this mural honors Justice Jackson’s ascent to the highest court in the land,” Commissioner Ellis said. “Justice Jackson carries with her the legacy of brave and bold Black women – including Congresswoman Barbara Jordan – who persevered in the face of bigotry, oppression and sexism to forge the path we walk today.”

A self-taught artist, Ronen has created hundreds of pieces of art in the United States and around the world. She has paintings throughout the greater Houston area, including public spaces like highways, bridges, buildings, churches and schools. That work includes a Marvin Zindler mural in north Houston and a 200- by 18-foot mural at Blackshear Elementary in Third Ward.

Commissioner Ellis said the Precinct is extremely honored that Ronen painted the Justice Jackson mural to permanently record that historic moment.

“We want residents of Fifth Ward and other communities to recognize that Justice Jackson’s seat on the Supreme Court comes at a pivotal moment in history,” Commissioner Ellis said. “It comes at a time when we are facing unprecedented, coordinated attempts to roll back the rights won by those who sacrificed and struggled before us. Her confirmation breathes life into making real the constitutional promise of freedom, opportunity and justice for all people.”

Others in attendance were former Federal Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore; Dr. Joan Bullock, Dean of TSU Thurgood Marshal Law School; and Judson W. Robinson III, Houston Area Urban League President & CEO.