Literary Arts was honored to host U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on March 12, 2026, for the culminating event of Multnomah County Library’s Everybody Reads 2026 program. This is our sixteenth year partnering with the Library and The Library Foundation on this community reading project, which this year distributed 8,000 free copies of Jackson’s bestselling memoir Lovely One, and hosted musical performances, events, and exhibits exploring the themes of community, Black excellence, and resilience in the face of adversity in the months leading up to Jackson’s appearance.
Annie Lewis, Director of Libraries says “Everybody Reads is design to spark conversation about important issues in our community and beyond. We hope understanding another person’s perspective will help us explore our own convictions, practice compassion, and learn powerful lessons.”
During her time in Portland, Justice Jackson visited Parkrose High School to speak with students in a conversation broadcast on OPB’s Think Out Loud. Justice Jackson also visited Jefferson High School with Jefferson alumna Renée Watson, bestselling author almost twenty books including All the Blues in The Sky which won the 2026 Newbery Medal. Watson would later join the Justice onstage at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall to discuss Lovely One, in front of a sold-out audience of almost 3,000 community members.
More than 700 high school students were able to attend through our free tickets for students’ program to hear the inspiring and uplifting conversation between Justice Jackson and Renée Watson. As one audience member said, “This was my first “Everybody Reads” event. I loved hearing the students, who cheered as their schools were announced. I felt like I was seeing Portland, the real Portland, not just my little neighborhood. The positive message and feeling of that evening has stuck with me. Thank you for putting on this event!”
