The United States of America lost one of its greatest leaders yesterday. The passing through the veil of Supreme Court Justice Bader-Ginsburg has rubbed salt in the wound of an already mourning nation. The impact of her work and influence cannot be measured in lace collars, legislation, or tears alone. Let it be measured by the perseverance and rage of millions of Americans who refuse to let her life be in vain.
Justice Bader-Ginsburg was many things, but she was not the last line of defense against Gilead. She was one of many women in this nation’s history who fought for equality and justice in the face of blatant oppression and tribulation.
One of the greatest lessons that Justice Bader-Ginsburg taught me was to see the humanity in monsters. Her friendship with Justice Scalia felt like a personal betrayal. I could not fathom how a woman who fought for freedom so vehemently could share a meal with the man bitterly fighting to take those freedoms away. I cannot pretend to understand her motivations or reasoning, but she did teach me a lesson. She saw him not as a monster, but as a man. She taught me never to see your adversaries as more or less than human. Either perspective gives them too much power and permission to act in inhumane ways. She taught me that there can be no Justice without Temperance.
She was one of precious few role models I found in this country. Let her be the last monument to a bygone era. For years, she stood a bastion of change and progress. She inspired millions by changing the fate of this country through legislation, and yet despite her myriad accomplishments, she alone was never enough. Gone are the days of heroes. The weight of Justice cannot fall to so few.
Justice Bader-Ginsburg ensured that her posterity had access to rights and education and safety that were previously only gifted to the select few. What will you do with these gifts? Her life’s work was a call to women everywhere to don the mantle she bore. Very few answered. Her last words to the public are harrowing. The notion that an accomplished 87 year old woman with a 27 year service record on the highest court in the land cannot peacefully pass because of her concern for the welfare of her country is a disgrace-- and it is from our complacency. The death of Ruth Bader-Ginsburg is a wake-up call to many. If this is the most afraid you’ve ever been, acknowledge your privilege.
Mourn, but do so in a way befitting to her legacy. Work tenaciously toward the betterment of society. See the humanity in the monsters. And if you are afraid, answer the call while you still can. Let the fear you now feel teach you that the responsibility to ensure the safety and prosperity of the nation falls on the shoulders of all its inhabitants.