Chicago Pastor Leads Chant Of "Ketanji Brown Jackson" During Sermon: "Say Her Name!"

Pastor Ira J. Acree of Chicago's Greater St. John Bible Church takes a detour in his March 27, 2022 sermon (preaching from Psalm 30) to praise Joe Biden's Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, directing his congregation to "say her name" in a celebratory chant.

—TRANSCRIPT—

IRA J. ACREE: The Congress of this American empire tried in every way to crucify this black woman. Tried in [?] everybody to commit a modern-day lynching on the platform for everyone to see. They crucified, belittled, berated, humiliated and insulted a black woman who was nominated for Justice on the highest court of the land.

But I'm glad to report every black woman should be swaying this morning. Every black woman'll have a little sway in your shoulders. Because this sister, she never bowed. She never wilted. She held her poise. She was cool, she was calm, she was collected. I could hear saying, "Still I rise." Her demeanor was exquisite. Her grace was under pressure personified.

Say her name. Ketanji. Brown. Jackson. Say her name!

AUDIENCE: Ketanji! Brown! Jackson!

ACREE: I don't hear nobody!

AUDIENCE: Ketanji! Brown! Jackson!

ACREE: She belongs to us!

AUDIENCE: Ketanji! Brown! Jackson!

ACREE: When I looked at her, I saw my sister. Fact of the matter, I saw some of you. Yes, I saw my wife. I saw the fulfillment of my mother and grandmother's dreams.

And can I just say this? I ain't bothering nobody, but you didn't have to get close up on her to know that she was black, either. Y'all ain't got to say nothing. You know racism is so toxic that they try to create divisions of colorism in our own race. And so, oftentimes, what they used to do, they would go get a person that was so close in pigmentation to the dominant culture so that other racist whites can process it just a little better.

But they didn't! They, Joe Biden, I got to give him credit. He didn't even make her get a perm. You ain't got to say nothing. He could have told her, "Now, you got this is. This is the first time I've done this. Now, if you really want to go through with your dream, you're gonna have to go to the beautician and get you a perm."

Sister girl came on in there with her African name, her African color, and her African hair.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIuLoHB0BV4