RBG
“The late John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said, “while on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”
The sacred cause of liberty and justice, dignity and equality decreed by God and meant for all has been advanced because while on earth Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made God’s work her own. Because of her, the ancient words of the prophet Micah to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God have found fulfillment. May we follow in her footprints. May she rest in the arms of the God who is love and the author of true justice. Rest In Peace, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Shalom.”
—Bishop Michael Curry at the death of RBG.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
A national icon for justice, mercy, kindness, and humility has died. A super hero, especially for women. When RBG came to Little Rock slightly over a year ago as part of the Kumpuris Distinguished Lecture Series at the Clinton Presidential Library, so many people wanted to hear her that the Library kept changing the venue multiple times to respond to the numbers of people asking to come. The event was finally moved to the largest space in the city, a sports arena that quickly filled. The audience filled the stands and the floor. Unheard of to hear a supreme court judge.
Emily Roberson. Crowd hearing RBG September 2019 North Little Rock
I think back to that night as we hear about her death at age 87. The seats were filled with parents with their children. So many young people, especially young girls. This is what gives me hope today. So many young people. Her legacy goes on in our young, whom she inspired. I was just as moved the night her death was announced as people spontaneously went to the supreme court building to mourn and honor her. Again, so many young people.
This is where I see hope for our country, where God works in mysterious ways calling out a petite, soft-spoken woman to teach all of us so much about relationships with each other, honoring each other, speaking our truth, honoring others even when we disagree with them, carrying on even in face of great tragedies and hardship, not forgetting the dream.
RBG’s gentle voice that pauses as she listens still speaks to us today through her life story, encouraging us to do the same to stand up for the rights of all people, care for our neighbor, find some common ground with those we disagree and connect to them just as she found opera an endearing connection to Justice Scalia who operated in a system at opposite poles to her.
Justice Ginzburg often mentioned that from her Jewish heritage she grew up in the shadow of the Holocaust and World War II. She knew firsthand about discrimination. This is the path of a wounded healer. Instead of giving up, she changed the playing field for women, minorities, immigrants, and the disabled with the best tools of her education, the law.
I think of the tragedies in RBG’s life, the death of her mother, a sister, her husband. She honored these persons. In some ways, her life seemed to be a continuation of honoring those who had helped her. She always mentioned in her presentations those who helped her in her career, giving thanks for a Columbia law professor, colleagues. She in turn did the same for her law clerks.
President Clinton, who nominated Justice Ginsburg, reminded us that RBG will be especially known for her powerful dissents, for speaking out for what she believed unfair. She didn’t shout and scream, but she wrote. She did not villainize those who spoke against what she believed right. She tried to stay in relationship with them.
Justice Ginsburg called noticed to her dissents by wearing special collars with her black robes when she dissented. I now see these collars as a sign of a wounded healer, someone who has been wounded, but has used the energy of this pain to lead her to be a healer even when some might feel all is lost.
She knows what injustice is and will continue not to give in. These collars were an outward and visible sign of not giving up. Justice Ginsburg’s life developed out of a feminine strength born in each of us, men and women, that knows about being wounded but knows that the relationship, caring about and loving our neighbors is our ministry until our dying breath.
May we all honor Justice Ginsburg by doing the same.
Joanna. joannaseibert.com