"I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing away hit us all like a splash of cold water on our faces. It was as if time froze. The reaction was not only widespread but it also had a range of emotions associated with it. While the whole world was disheartened, Senator Mitch McConnell’s alacrity to replace her seemed extremely non decorous and uncalled for. Nevertheless, the news of the pioneer’s death was met with extreme sadness throughout the world.
Even though she graduated first in her class, she was discriminated on the basis of her gender. Ginsburg then became a fervent advocate of gender equality and women’s rights. She did not let people’s opinion shake her, in fact she shrugged off all the suggestions that she retire. What is more inspiring is that she fought for us despite the deteriorating condition of her health, battling a protean of illnesses including pancreatic cancer and colon cancer. While fighting her own battles, she supported us in ours. Many women claimed that would remember RBG as someone who stood up for them all the time and that she had impacted their lives profusely.
It wouldn’t be wrong to call her a rare jurist, after all not only was she the first Jewish female justice of the supreme court, but also a leader for all us and not just young women. But how did she become a pop culture phenomenon? From her feature in an Oscar-nominated documentary, “RBG” in which she was seen casually lifting weights wearing a sweatshirt which sad “super diva!” to her innumerable appearances in “Saturday Night Live”, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was omnipresent. Her face can be seen on mugs, candles, clothes, poles and what not. In fact, people have gotten tattoos inspired by Ginsburg.
To me, she was someone who had a mind of her own and always worked to achieve a better society. She wasn’t afraid of voicing her opinions even when she knew she might have to jostle with the world after it. She inspired countless people, including me, to contribute to the welfare of others regardless of what we are going through. She was and always will be a true hero.
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