I’ll never forget the moment I heard about the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. One of the most prominent female icons of the century, an advocate for positive change regardless of one’s race or gender. I was sitting on my bed, about to hunker down for another quiet night of Gilmore Girls, when I got a text from a close friend from home. I read it once. Then again. Then a third time, the words blurring before my eyes as the shock set in. My first thought was immediately “I have to call my mom to tell her”. The impact that the notorious RBG has left on generations of woman both young and old is one that will never be forgotten- and her legacy will remain untarnished for years to come.
Even before her time on the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg was making history. She entered Harvard Law as one of 9 women in a class of 500 men. She juggled becoming a lawyer while being a mother and also managing her husband’s long-term illness. She was the first person- male or woman- to become a member of both the Columbia and Harvard Law Reviews. She later become the first tenured female law professor at Columbia. At the time of her appointment to the supreme court she became only the second woman to ever do so, the first being Sandra Day O’Connor. In the 1970s she won 5 of the 6 proposed major supreme court cases related to the idea of women’s equality under the law. These are only some of the many walls she broke down for woman all over the world. Each and every one of her actions throughout her appointment was dedicated to fighting for equal rights and unequivocal justice for all.
In the wake of her death many strong young women are left reeling at the thought of what the future will hold, and question how it is that they will be able to recover from the loss of such a powerful figure in the political realm. I have often found myself dreading the next few years as controversy about the next supreme court nomination arises. However, if there is one way I can make myself feel better and encourage others to do the same it is by saying this: vote. Get active, call your senators, click on those registration links that pop up as ads on your Instagram that you usually just exit out of. Tell your friends, tell your family, tell the random girl who walks by you on your way to class, heck tell your dog! (even though she probably can’t vote she’ll definitely still appreciate the meaning). And above all remember that RBG started off just like the rest of us- a young girl who just wanted to make a difference in the world- and that you too can be a part of her never-ending fight for justice.