RBG and Her Impact on Elon Students

People all across the country have felt the impact of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing on Sept. 18th. Many students on campus also felt this loss.

As students mourn the loss of RBG, several Elon students have committed to honor her through holding safe spaces on campus, learning more about her work, and trying to act with her wisdom.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg overcame a lot of hardships in her 87 years of life. She was born in Brooklyn in 1933 at the height of the Great Depression. Her mother passed away from cancer the day before she graduated high school.

Ginsburg attended Cornell and graduated first in her class. She then went onto law school at Harvard with her husband. There she excelled academically even while her husband battled cancer. Then she transferred to Columbia Law school and again graduated at the top of the class.

After her impressive academic achievements, she could not find a job because most firms did not want to hire a female attorney. RBG went on to serve as an attorney and eventually a judge.

She overcame all of these obstacles and even battled cancer herself five different times over the last two decades.

Despite these numerous hardships, RBG rose above them and excelled in ways no other woman had before. She directed the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU, fought in landmark gender discrimination cases in front of the Supreme Court, and eventually earned her seat on the Supreme Court when President Bill Clinton appointed her.

Without her hard work, women would not be able to sign a mortgage without a male co-signer, have a credit card just in their name, or marry someone of the same-sex. She also pushed for women to have the right to choose regarding family planning, equal pay in the workplace, and the protection of pregnant women from being fired because they were pregnant. These countless accomplishments have led to her earning the nickname the “Notorious RBG.”

The Edge interviewed two students, Corinne Brager and Katie Dalrymple on their thoughts of the Notorious RBG. Both students displayed the utmost admiration and respect for her. RBG’s compassion and kindness towards others while still being a powerful woman in a male-dominated field is what drew their admiration.

“I’ve been reflecting on my own life and the way her actions impacted my life,” Katie says. “I played women’s sports in high school, have my credit card, go to doctor appointments, and consent for medical practice without having someone else sign for me, and I can have a lease for an apartment in my name. It feels normal now but to think about it in terms of her having to change things. It's things I do every day because of her legacy.”

Both Corinne and Katie admired RBG for her composure and strength. “She was always strong in the face of people that didn’t agree with her. She was never afraid to speak her mind,” Corinne says.

Katie decided to honor her memory by working with the Truitt Center and Hillel to create a table to honor her in the Sacred Space of Numen Lumen this past Thursday and Friday. Students had the opportunity to write a note, light a candle, or lay a stone. In Jewish tradition, people lay a stone at a grave because flowers die, but stones never pass. Students also had the opportunity to participate virtually by publishing an anonymous post to the Truitt Center website to honor her memory.

A memorial for RBG in the Numen Lumen pavilion. Photo by Madison Gilgo.

Katie was inspired by the adversity she faced and wanted to create a space to honor her legacy. “She faced a lot of adversity, while at the same time she realized the fights other people were fighting, which is why she put so much effort into the work she did,” she says.

Hillel also worked alongside the Truitt Center and Katie to create this memorial space. Katie felt it was essential to include RBG’s Jewish faith into the memorial because she was such a strong Jewish woman.

RBG’s Jewish faith also inspired Corrine. “As a Jewish woman, she had a huge impact on my life,” Corrine says. “The Jewish community has a lot of role models to look up to, but I never connected with them as I connect with her being a Jewish woman and also being a strong feminist.”

RBG’s Jewish faith is also remembered through the day of her passing. She passed away on the evening of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year. When a person dies on Rosh Hashanah, Jewish customs dictate that that person is of great righteousness. Both Katie and Corinne found comfort in her being considered a righteous woman.

The Elon community paid their respects in line with Jewish traditions. Photo by Madison Gilgo.

RBG’s impact and legacy on the world and the Elon community are clear. She was a woman of composure, intellect, and power.

Students at Elon strive to honor her through their lives as they make decisions, interact with others, and fight for gender equality. Her dissents and calculated work in the Supreme Court made her the woman she is recognized as today, but her composure and strength in times of adversity made her the Notorious RBG.