On September 18, 2020, the world lost Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, an inspiration to many.  Diagnosed with cancer five times, yet still sitting strong on the bench, Justice Ginsberg died peacefully in her home at the age of 87 from metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Ruth Ginsberg was born on March 15, 1933. She attended Cornell, Harvard, and Columbia and spent her career as a pioneer for women’s rights.

When her husband was diagnosed with cancer in her first year of law school, she dedicated herself to caring for him while remaining in school. She also kept him up-to-date on his classes as well as keeping up with her own.

Some of Justice Ginsberg’s achievements include:

• Being the first woman on the Harvard Law Review
• Graduating first in her class at Columbia University in 1959
• Becoming the first female professor to earn tenure at Columbia University
• Being a leader in the Women’s Rights Project of the Civil Liberties Union
• Arguing (and winning) six landmark cases against gender discrimination in front of the Supreme Court

  

On the bench, Justice Ginsberg continued to fight for gender equality and other beliefs she held close to her.  She fought to win the United States V. Virginia which barred the Virginia Military Issue from refusing to admit women.

RBG was not only a picture of mental strength, but also physical. Even when she was in her 80’s, she would exercise with a trainer several times a week, and was able to lift more than her fellow justices for a time.

RBG did not miss a single day on the bench, despite going through chemotherapy until 2018. She was, and still is, an image of both physical and mental strength for all of us.

Rosary Alumna, Christina Wald ’08, met Justice Ginsberg twice, and answered a few questions about her experience with Justice Ginsberg.

Q: How would you describe your experience with Justice Ginsberg?

A: I met Justice Ginsburg in 2015 when I was working for a foreign policy think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in Washington, DC. I was organizing a meeting for her to come speak to our members and their children/grandchildren on her legacy. The first time I met her was in her chambers to go over the meeting and discuss topics. Usually this was done over the phone but she did not like to have conference calls. When I walked into the room, I did not know how to react to her. From pictures, I think I automatically assumed she would be like my grandmother, whom I needed to speak loudly to and be extremely polite with. But Justice Ginsburg blew away every previous expectation I had of her. Her mind was extremely sharp and she could remember everything. We went over the meeting format and then discussed topics. I specifically remember her mentioning towards the end of the conversation, “Well, I was the first female member of CFR- do you think the audience would find that interesting?” As someone who grew up with women already established in most areas of work, it hit me how recent that fact really was. My meeting with her was nothing special or life-changing in the least for her, but it is an experience I will never forget. She would bounce from telling a story about how she found out about her “Notorious RBG” status to her most recent opinions on the court with an ease that I was in awe of.

Q: Has she inspired you in your life, and if so, how?

A: Justice Ginsburg has impacted my life more so than I truly thought. Her leadership and candor on the bench are something I strive to mimic during my professional career.  I think going to Rosary taught me to embrace my gender and be a strong leader, something that Ginsburg pioneered. When I went to college and started my first job, I did see how hard it was to navigate being a professional woman. I did not know until recently that I have Justice Ginsburg to thank for even an opportunity to be a single woman with a professional job. She has also inspired my beliefs that everyone is created equal and are entitled to equal rights under the law.

Q: What do you think her impact on this world is?

A: Her impact on this world is equality, and it is vast. The fact that a single woman can apply for a credit card or buy a house without a spouse is because of her. Ginsburg helped change the way an entire society thinks. The fact that at Rosary right now, there are students who dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer or journalist are because she helped pave the way for women to achieve those goals, and she also made sure if you did achieve those goals, you were entitled to benefits in your job as well.

The “Notorious RBG” (a nicknamed she earned in pop culture) has left an undeniable impact in almost every woman’s life. Her handling of criticism, ability to laugh (Justice Ginsberg went on record saying she laughed at the SNL spoof of her), and courage to continue to fight is inspiring in every way. Justice Ginsberg fought not only the physical battle of cancer but also the daily battle of overcoming the sexism she faced daily. RBG will go on as one of the great minds of all time, and will not soon be forgotten by those around her.

May the powerful, smart, strong, lace collar-wearing, Notorious RBG rest in power. Let us remember her famous and important words: “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”