ICYMI: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg took the stage at Hill Auditorium last week, and aside from giving the audience some insight about her fascinating career, she dropped some major truth bombs about what it means to be a powerful woman in government.
Keep in mind that this is the same woman who recently said to an audience at Georgetown that the Supreme Court will have enough women “when there are nine,” and who reportedly owns a closet full of Notorious RBG t-shirts, a Biggie Smalls-inspired meme created in her likeness. Her appearance in Ann Arbor only confirmed the popular belief that she’s basically the coolest.
One of just nine women in her Harvard Law School class of five hundred people, she tied for valedictorian upon graduation. She also was newly married and had a newborn baby at home–something she said inspired her to be so successful in school. Despite her credentials she had a hard time finding paid work after graduation, entirely based on her gender.
Today, she has overcome nearly every professional roadblock with which she was faced. In her 21st year on the Supreme Court, she has helped shape US law through some monumental decisions. More importantly, she’s a feminist icon for all kinds of aspiring powerful women trying to shatter the glass ceiling. And not many 81-year-old grandmothers can say the same.
She kept the packed auditorium captivated with a Frozen reference, a few implied lessons in self-confidence (not many people can say “I think most of my dissents will be law someday” and get away with it) and a casual mention of her “intimidating” workout regimen. She concluded her talk with some advice to her audience: pursue your passion in addition to the job for which you get paid. She was met with a standing ovation.
We love you, RBG! Stay notorious.