Ruth Bader Ginsburg never stopped. When law students were mostly men, she went to school anyway. When her husband got sick, she took notes in class for him. When law firms wouldn’t hire a woman, she didn’t give up. Ginsburg kept going. She went all the way to America’s top court.
Ginsburg was the second woman to be a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. She kept serving until her last days. Ginsburg died on Friday. She was 87 years old. Now, people are looking back at her life.
Ginsburg was born in 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother taught her to value education. Ginsburg took that lesson to heart. She made top grades. She was one of only nine female students at Harvard Law School. That was out of a class of more than 500!
Ginsburg faced discrimination. Some companies didn’t hire women. Still, Ginsburg found success as a lawyer. She fought for a fairer world. She took on cases for women’s rights. And she won many of them.
President Bill Clinton noticed. In 1993, he chose Ginsburg to join the Supreme Court. Ginsburg wanted to make sure everyone was treated fairly. The justice worked long hours. She kept going through many illnesses. And she never gave up.
Ginsburg’s fame goes beyond the law. People wrote books and made a movie about her. Fans called her RBG — her initials. People dressed as Ginsburg for Halloween. They wore long, black robes and lacy collars.
On Friday, crowds honored Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court Building. That’s in Washington, D.C. Many leaders spoke out too. John Roberts is the chief justice of the Supreme Court. He called Ginsburg a “champion of justice.” Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton added, “Thank you, RBG.”
People are also still learning from Ginsburg. There are lessons about believing in yourself and doing what’s right. “Fight for the things you care about,” Ginsburg once said. “But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
Just like RBG, her words will never stop.
Updated September 21, 2020, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
