Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh on Monday moved to shore up a possible political vulnerability in his confirmation by the Senate with extended comments on the role women have played in shaping his life as a man and a federal judge.

“I was lucky. My mom was a teacher. In the 1960s and 70s she taught history at two largely African-American pubic high schools in Washington, D.C.,” Kavanaugh said in remarks as he accepted President Trump’s nomination to succeed retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. “Her example taught me the importance of equality for all Americans.”