“Even if you meet Prince Charming, be able to fend for yourself.” – RBG
Ruth Bader Ginsberg has been a pioneer of women’s rights in the Supreme Court since her appointment in 1993 under Bill Clinton, and long before that in her legal career and personal life. She strategically picked and won cases that helped propel the Women’s Rights Movement forward, and is responsible for much of the legal side of gender equality and equity we have today. Every woman owes her a lot for her tireless service as a justice on the United States Supreme Court. She has afforded women many of the protections we enjoy today. On September 18, 2020, she passed away at eighty seven years old.
Arguably the most tragic part of her death is the way it has become shrouded with panic. Being a historically liberal vote on the Supreme Court, one of just four out of the nine, many liberal voters worry that the Supreme Court will have a ratio of 3:6 in terms of liberal to conservative-leaning judges. The death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg and all of her accomplishments for female equality are being overshadowed with fear of who will replace her. Stoking the flames of this, barely hours after the news broke to the public about her passing, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised to hold a vote on Trump’s nominee for her replacement, despite his term being nearly over. I myself am guilty of letting this fear distract me from honoring the life she lead.
Rather than envisioning this loss as a defeat, we must reframe our thinking and allow this moment to be a call to action. We as women must not let her efforts go to waste. We must continue to fight for her as she did for us. As a young girl with the hopes of succeeding in a political career path, I thank Ruth Bader Ginsberg for paving the way for me and so many like me, for fighting for me and my future, and for giving me someone to look up to. May she always be remembered as more than her seat on the Supreme Court.