There has been much biographical and historical content written about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg over the last 25 years; and with her death, there will be more confirming her legacy. And that is how it should be; to acknowledge the contributions this woman has made to the lives of many Americans during her lifetime of service.
Before she became the notorious RBG, an icon we learned to love and admire, this physically diminutive woman found herself swimming against the tide from high school onward. Motherless before her high school graduation, she went on to attend college and law school before becoming a university law professor, interspersed with a marriage and children—all before entering government service. This gal could walk and chew gum at the same time!
She saw women’s rights as civil rights and knew, on a personal level, the inequality that women continually face. She dedicated her life to that cause, arguing often and successfully before the
Supreme Court, and then writing scathing dissents while an associate justice of that very same court when she saw injustice.
Whether it was overcoming her illnesses and medical treatments, pumping iron or doing planks, she persevered and kept on working and fighting the good fight. She was one tough lady!
Her passing is another bright light extinguished, bringing further darkness to our land of hopes and dreams, for a more perfect union. So … upon our awakening in the mornings to come, when you gaze into the eyes of your mother—the eyes of your wife—the eyes of your daughter and granddaughter—the eyes of your girlfriends—know what Ruth Bader Ginsburg saw and tried to accomplish with her keen vision for justice and equality.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s last fervent wish was that she “not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
We can only wish that she be granted her last wish.
E.G. Singer lives in Santa Rosa.
