Last week’s appointment of James E. Graves Jr. to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals didn’t get a lot of attention. But his nomination represents a remarkable milestone. Graves is currently the only African American justice on the Supreme Court of Mississippi and, if confirmed, he will become the first African American Mississippi has ever sent to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Mississippi, keep in mind, has the largest percentage of African American residents of any state in the country—37% at the time of the last census.

It’s a remarkable milestone…and it’s even more remarkable that it’s just now being reached.