RBG-The Fighter Beyond the Grave
Some forms of art that I found inspiring was the immense amount of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg memorabilia publicly displayed after her recent passing at the end of 2020. Immediately after her death, I was in a state of complete shock. It was so heartbreaking to see someone you consider a hero passing away after such an intense fight to stay alive, especially when she was seen as such a beacon of hope for a nation full of political turmoil. As a young woman with intention of attending law school, I have looked up to her with an appreciation for as long as I can remember. Throughout her lifetime she had paved the path for many women to be open politically and show the power of intelligence can take you all the way to the judicial branch. A favorite quote of mine she often recited was, “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”, emphasizing how women have the ability to succeed as long as men don’t place demeaning restrictions based upon someone’s gender identity. Given the 2020 election closely following her death, many people fled to publicly display their disappointment with former President Trump for immediately attempting to replace Justice Ginsburg with the controversial appointment of the oppositional force of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. With all of the constant fighting within the news, I felt so incredibly proud to see how so many women were coming together to honor the late Justice Ginsburg’s legacy. As a female within the United States, we often forget that our ancestors had to fight for the right to vote, and I’m so happy we are realizing that privilege now more than ever. The art piece I would like to focus on was a poster made by an outraged voter who wanted to commemorate Ginsburg’s work when she was alive. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Calvin Woodward published a poster of Ginsburg with the statement, “Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lend others to join you.”, which I saw on Instagram around the week Coney Barrett was being appointed. I found this poster to be inspirational because it motivates listeners to unify to get change done, as power derives from numbers. The biggest duty we have as citizens is enacting our right to vote for causes we are passionate about. I think the death of Ginsburg unified the people who supported her to take charge politically to take action within the branches. I know after hearing about her death, I was more motivated than ever to get out and vote. I realize now after a crippling worldwide pandemic, racial disputes, and now the passing of an influential political figure, I was most defiantly not the only one who went to vote, as the 2020 election was recorded to be the highest voter turnout in history. As a political science major, I was already interested in the elections of our public officials, but now more than ever I see the importance of educating yourself on the values figures have and holding them accountable for violating their promises
