![]() ![]() Her professional accomplishments alone would be enough to give her a lasting and well-deserved legacy. As only the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, she was a trailblazer who has made my own path easier-as a wife, mother and executive. Justice Ginsburg was a role model for women and young girls everywhere, from the moment she broke barriers entering Harvard Law School. What does it mean to this youngest generation of women to see a woman ascend to the highest levels of leadership, the height of her profession, and to do it all with such incredible discipline, thoughtfulness and grace? I especially watched the parents who had brought their young children-their young daughters-to pay respect. But, above all, I watched the diversity alongside me-old and young, black and white, gay and straight, individuals and families. I read the messages posted by mourners in handcrafted signs or scrawled in chalk on the sidewalk. I surveyed the American flag, lowered to half-staff. Upon arriving, I witnessed the sea of flowers and remnants of candles that had been lit in reflection. In the wake of such a significant event, it felt natural to stand alongside others who were reflecting on her legacy and to share in a moment of both grief and gratitude. The day after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, I left my home in our nation’s capital and made my way to the majestic steps of the Supreme Court. We the people have work to do, and we’ll be the most effective if we do it together.Photo Credit: “ Associate Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Visits WFU” by WFULawSchool is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. We must raise our voices to speak up for the women whose voices may otherwise go unheard. True gender equity still does not exist, and as we work towards it, we must be advocates for each other. As my friend Trudy Bourgeois said to me earlier this week, “We all need to lead from where we are.” That means today we need to look to one another, and work together to right wrongs. Our responsibility, as we mourn her passing, is to follow her lead, continue her optimism, honor her memory, and continue the fight. I am optimistic, however, that movement toward enlistment of the talent of all who compose ‘We, the people,’ will continue.” ![]() Most people in poverty in the United States and the world over are women and children, women’s earnings here and abroad trail the earnings of men with comparable education and experience, our workplaces do not adequately accommodate the demands of childbearing and child rearing, and we have yet to devise effective ways to ward off sexual harassment at work and domestic violence in our homes. In fact, she clearly spelled out the current situation and her hope for the future, “One must acknowledge the still bleak part of the picture. While she opened a number of doors for women, her work is not done. “For nearly three decades, as the second woman ever to sit on the highest court in the land, she was a warrior for gender equality - someone who believed that equal justice under law only had meaning if it applied to every single American.” ![]() Just hours after her death, Barack Obama aptly described that legacy, calling Ginsburg a champion of women’s rights in her battle to achieve equality and fulfill America’s potential as a nation. She understood constitutional equality was an ongoing project, and later in her life said she did not fight for “women’s rights,” but for “the constitutional principle of the equal citizenship stature of men and women.” Justice Ginsburg co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union in 1972, and built her legacy by chipping away at inequalities – large and small. Ultimately, Justice Ginsburg taught our daughters to fight for what they believe in, and demonstrated – with every decision – to little girls everywhere that women can and do belong in all places where decisions are being made. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., she helped women make strides toward equal pay. ![]() With her dissent (and call to action) in the pay discrimination case Ledbetter v. They can have a job and not be discriminated against because of their gender. Thanks to her courage and commitment to justice our daughters can open a checking account, or buy a house without a male co-signer. There aren’t words to describe the enormity of my feelings for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or the depth of my sadness with her passing. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” – Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. ![]()
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