Stacey Plaskett was one of the House Managers for the Second Impeachment Trial and “the break-out star” of the proceedings. It was her viral blue cape dress that helped make her an internet phenomenon: that dress, her legal acuity and her stellar communication skills.
Internet wizards photo-shopped a Superwoman logo on the front of the cape dress. Stacey Plaskett is a delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the U.S. Virgin Islands. She was the first non-voting member to be named a manager AND the only Black woman in the impeachment hearing room.
She was introduced by her former constitutional law professor and lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who said she was “an ‘A’ student then and she is an ‘A+’ student now”. This resume however is not why I am writing about her.
Something else stood out more to me in several ways. Interviewed after the trial had ended, she was asked about “the dress”. She named the designer but said, there was something more important she wanted to talk about. Lesson #1, as the interviewee you can take control of the interview. First you need to answer the question and then you can pivot.
She then talked about the role of her girlfriends in getting her sartorially ready for the trial. They came to her closet, chose outfits and the matching embellishments for her. Lesson #2 is that it does take a village. Everyone needs their team, their posse, whatever you want to call your crew.
Before the girlfriends attacked the closet, first they declared her inability to effectively dress herself. Lesson #3, everyone needs an honest mirror. Everyone has an Achilles Heel. The best of the best know their Achilles Heel and work a plan to overcome it.
