A Life to Honor: Ruth Bader Ginsburg

by Alyse Bailey

On September 18th, 2020, American Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a fearless women who spent her life fighting for gender and race equality. She served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court from 1993-2020.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg grew up in Brooklyn to a lower class family. She was very active in her school and on the twirling team. The day before her graduation, Ruth’s mother passed away. RBG said, “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” Ruth’s mother believed strongly in women’s rights and passed that trait on to Ruth, inspiring her to live a life her mother could have only dreamed of. Ruth went to college at Cornell university, where she met her husband Martin D. Ginsburg. During law school together, Martin was diagnosed with cancer. Ruth took his notes and helped him study so that he could pass his classes during this tough time. Alongside helping him, Ruth was doing her own studying and schooling while taking care of their 2 year old daughter, Jane Ginsburg.

Her accomplishments followed a trip to Sweden, where she was inspired by the popularity of feminism. These women had a sense of hard work and determination that Ruth admired.

Here is a small list of her accomplishments

- Second female law professor at Rutgers and fought for equal pay.

- Co-founded the first law journal on women’s rights.

- Became the first female law professor at Columbia.

- Co-founded the women’s rights project at ACLU.

- The first female Jewish Supreme Court Justice.

- 1 of 4 female justices in history

- First justice to officiate same sex marriage

Sexism was a battle in all of RBGs career, but she never let that stop her from destroying stereotypes and making a change in America. Respects were payed from the public to Ruth as she lay at the Supreme Court Wednesday September 23rd and Thursday September 24th.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy will be remembered forever. She was a woman of bravery, strength, resilience, and courage. Although her passing has brought great sadness, citizens of America look back on all her life accomplishments with appreciation and admiration. In the words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “Fight for things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead other to join you”.