Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Lioness of Equality

 By Mildred Robertson

Today we mourn the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who succumbed to a long battle with cancer. Ginsburg was only the second woman to sit on the highest court in the land.

 

Both a champion for justice and progress, Ginsburg led the fight for equality under the law. Her tireless advocacy, unending service, and trailblazing spirit opened the door for women and girls across the country to aspire to, and achieve seats of power in government and business. Her efforts, however, were not confined to seeking justice for women. She was equally committed to securing justice for all.

 

Nominated by Bill Clinton in June 1993, Ginsburg was confirmed in August. Her appointment to the Court followed a legal career as an advocate for the advancement of gender equality and women’s rights. Before taking the bench, Ginsburg had already won multiple cases argued before the Supreme Court.  

 

Her passing comes at a pivotal time in our nation’s history. If the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris ticket is successful, it will be the first time that a woman, no less a Black woman, is a heartbeat away from the levers of power in the United States. It remains to be seen whether America is ready to make that leap. While Kamala is neither the first female candidate to vie for either president or vice president of the United States, a successful Biden/Harris ticket would nonetheless be a huge departure from political norms in the U.S. The success of such a ticket is made possible, in part, by the work of Justice Ginsburg and others like her.

 

Justice Ginsburg’s passing also adds to an already fracas 2020 Presidential campaign. The airwaves have been awash in advertisements attempting to establish uncertainty about the efficacy of our political system. Both political parties are embroiled in a flurry of activity to determine how to maintain the power to fill the vacant seat, while doing as little damage to candidates caught up in tight races across the country.  Voters are carefully watching, and many are mobilizing to respond to how the White House and the Senate handle this vacancy with less than two months until the national election. The question is, will our Congress respond in a way that honors her memory and her body of work, or will her passing be the catalyst for a major challenge to our democracy.

 

As the nation pauses to honor Ginsburg, a folk hero sometimes referred to as “the Notorious RBG,” the words spoken in a 2018 documentary about her life powerfully exemplify her passion for justice. Ginsburg paraphrased the 19^th Century abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sarah Grimke, stating, “I ask no favor for my sex; all I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”

 

Those words…that legacy resonate as women still struggle to meet their potential in a world that maintains a double standard, and black people struggle just to live. The question is, will America live up to Ginsburg's call for justice and allow women and minorities to stand in liberty, or must we fight to remove the weight of oppression to gain justice and equality.

 

She will be missed—but will not be forgotten. May the "Lioness of Equality" rest in Glory and may her work stand through the winds of change.