THE Notorious R.B.G.
On Friday, September 18, 2020, I received some of the most heartbreaking news of 2020…of the decade, actually. After the dumpster fire of a year 2020 has presented us with, from COVID-19, to the Administration’s abhorrent failure of protecting the American people from the same, to the brutal murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, as well as the brutal police misconduct of Jacob Blake, to Conservatives’ failure to take COVID-19 seriously, increasing deaths across the country, to murder hornets, raging fires in the West, and cancelled trips, events, and milestone markers, September 18th really did me in.
I was watching a movie with my husband - “Patriot’s Day” - when I received a text from my sister, followed by numerous texts from friends sharing the news, offering support, and sharing my despair. My idol, the woman who showed me the fight - even the toughest, grittiest fight, is worth it, had passed away at the age of 87. I stared at my phone screen in disbelief as tears immediately began to stream down my face.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg has passed.
Immediately, I began to reflect. I thought of the endless hours in law school reading Supreme Court opinions, so unequivocally tied to RBG’s penmanship, thoughts, arguments, and flawless rationale, even in dissent. Her ability to impeccably craft reason and logic into compassion and advocacy for human rights. The way she moved even those who did not agree to bow down to the argument made with poise and conviction. Her words carrying immense weight, pointed, patient, balanced. She was the epitome of elegance and a beacon of strength for her family and those who wholly supported her. She was a lawyer and judge, unmatched - unafraid of the work and sacrifice required to make impactful, enduring change, and we shall honor her legacy by marking her passing as point of change from movement to revolution.
While I was met with immense sadness and devastation, I was also met with grave concern, and that is simply something I will never forgive this Administration and Republicans for. We, the people, who have adored this woman for her unwavering dedication to the fight for gender equality as a basic moral principle to be upheld under the law, did not even have an opportunity to properly mourn the passing of this legal titan before Senator McConnell, in a power-play riddled with his own hypocrisy, publicized that he would move to fill RBG’s seat with a vote on the Senate floor. My heart aches for RBG’s family as her legacy becomes a backdrop for disgusting political plays. To the people cheering to the news of her passing, you are garbage. Pure dumpster trash. I have other select words for you, but I’ll do you the service of simply saying garbage.
The one saving grace in my hopefulness is the sight of people mobilizing. They have now, if they haven’t before, recognized the indescribable importance of the upcoming election. That the people elected into Congress matter just as much as any Presidential election. That in order to save our democracy, foreign relations, and national progress, we are in dire need of change, enduring change, and a return to human decency and simple kindness. This Administration has allowed us to lose common decency and the basic application of the Golden Rule and it is time we re-apply those fundamental principles of human kind. Take this as a lesson, your vote matters. Your involvement in your community and continued advocacy, matter. YOU matter. And you have a voice that you should use every chance you are given, especially at the voting booth. And who knows? Maybe one day you’ll see my name on one of those ballots somewhere.
-agl.
