California Sen. Alex Padilla recently asked Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson what she would tell other young Black and brown women who wish to follow in her footsteps.

“I hope to inspire people to follow this path because I love this country. Because I love the law. Because I think it is important that we all invest in our future and the young people are the future. And so I want them to know they can do and be anything,” Jackson said.

For some young black children, this may be the first time they’ve heard such a message. That America is a country worth loving. That our legal system is worth loving. That they can do and be anything – no matter their race.

If these students are sitting in classrooms that promote critical race theory or the “diversity, equity, and inclusion” doctrine, they have instead been taught that America is an evil country. A country that is not worth investing in. A country where black women cannot get ahead because of systemic racism.

Today, the prevailing message on race is inherently anti-American.

Works like the “1619 Project” are lauded by critics despite being riddled with factual inaccuracies because they confirm the sentiment that America is a country founded on racism and slavery rather than on independence and liberty. Books like Ibrahim X. Kendi’s “Antiracist Baby” teach young students that they are predestined to either be oppressors or oppressed because of their skin tone.

The Black Lives Matter movement receives tens of millions of dollars – which they may mismanage – because they champion the talking point that America’s laws and those who enforce them are evil. Figures like BET founder Robert Johnson tell Black Americans that they need reparation handouts to get ahead, rather than better jobs or schools.

But Judge Jackson’s life and Supreme Court nomination disprove these broken theories.

She loves this country that so many race grifters find so lucrative to hate. She didn’t let some oppression narrative stop her from leading her high school debate team or attending Harvard. She loves her family members who have served the country as both police officers and in the military. She understands that it is a blessing to be an American, not a burden.

America is not a racist country. It’s the land of opportunity where a young Black girl from Florida can go to Harvard and become a Supreme Court justice. There are individual racists in every country, but those people should be ignored, not amplified. During a 2019 speech, Judge Jackson articulated this message to the students of the University of Chicago.

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“So what does it take to rise through the ranks despite those who don’t think you have it in you, and will remind you of their feelings at every turn? It demands that you tune out those voices, block out their little flags and ignore the haters, rather than indulging them,” Jackson said, later adding, “I cannot recall a single time in my childhood in which I cared about the slights and misperceptions and underestimations that came my way. What I do remember is often thinking, ‘Hmm. Well, I’ll show them.’”

Notice, Jackson didn’t tell that room of students, “Cave to every slight and misperception and underestimation because America is a racist country and you are an oppressed victim.”

Black Americans have a choice. They can play the victim game and wait for a reparations check that will never come. Or, they can follow Judge Jackson and open their eyes to the blessings of being an American.

Judge Jackson’s legal philosophy can certainly be debated, but it is clear that Black Americans would be wise to follow her philosophy on race and America.

Christian Watson is the host of the Pensive Politics Podcast and a Spokesperson for Color Us United. He can be found on Twitter @OfficialCWatson and on the Youtube channel “Christian Watson.”