The Legend Rests in Power
- Amy Jain
- Oct 10, 2020
- 2 min read
It is with heavy hearts and teary eyes that feminists around the globe say goodbye to the icon herself on night of September 18.
But this isn’t a time to mourn, not yet.
It is a time, more than ever, to remember her legacy, and continue it forward.
Who was… Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
A Student
Graduating from Cornell, then transferring to Columbia in her final year, whilst still maintaining a top-of-the-class position and serving on the coveted law reviews at both institutions.
And just in case this wasn’t exemplary enough, completed her ailing husband’s coursework at Harvard all at the same time!
An Advocate
Immediately after graduation, Ginsburg saw that the real world did not applaud her achievements as readily as was the case in the world of academia… she had once said in an interview: "I had three strikes against me, one I was Jewish, two I was a woman, but the killer was I was the mother of a four-year-old child." talking about how it was hard to get even a single job offer from a New York Law firm.
And yet, she had persevered and made a name for herself…
A Lawyer:
From 1973 to 1978, she argued for six cases - winning five
One of these included bits of the Social Security Act that favored women over men, which gave favor to widows, but not widowers.
In her time at the court, she made it clear she was for equality - both men and women included.
A Judge:
With a 96-3 majority win, Ginsburg was welcomed into the US Senate with open arms
Her decisions on court were said to be of a: moderate-liberal bloc that advocated for
gender equality
She was one of the first to challenge gender-based statute was struck down on the basis of the equal protection clause
the rights of workers
the separation of church and state among a few of many topics
A Fighter
RBG was twice a cancer survivor in her own lifetime.
A Dissenter
“I dissent.”
Where the traditional courtroom attire cloaks itself in black, shapeless, judicial robes, Ginsburg found her own way to add flair to her statements - especially on days when no oral argument was allowed. Her dissent collar, in this way, came to be a favorite among all her fans.
"As she has seen the things she fought for threatened by the shifting political winds, she has spoken out. Society has come a long way since RBG (‘s early years…) However, injustice and inequality remain. RBG teaches us that we can all do our part to help move society forward.”
And, of course, dissent.
Read more about her life at: My Own Words the memoir and New York Times Bestseller
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