Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
REMEMBERING RUTH BADER GINSBURG
Chester County DA Ryan: ‘Women belong in all placeswhere decisions are beingmade’
Deborah Eisenbud Ryan is the Chester County District Attorney. She was asked to give her thoughts on the legacy of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. They follow:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg inspired a nation with her dedication to the pursuit of equality. Her tenacity and doggedness in fighting for gender equality was the catalyst necessary to pave the way for me, and more than half of our population, for the opportunity to get a fair shake.
One of my favorite quotes fromthe late justicewas, “I ask no favor formy sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”
It’s unthinkable now, in this day and age, that women once had to get permission fromtheir husbands to get their own line of credit, could not go to law school, or could be raped by their husbands with impunity. The late justice helped change all of that.
She was a champion of justice and a stalwart feminist. To this day I stillmarvel when anyone, especially women, attempts to disassociate themselves from theword feminist, believing that wanting to be treated equally is anything but fair. Trailblazers like “RBG,” as she was known to her admirers, made it pos
sible for me and countless others to achieve our professional goals and enjoy freedoms never before had.
One of the things I admired most about her was her resilience. She was often rejected in her professional pursuits after graduating from the top of her law school class. At the time, law firms did not believe women were capable or even suited for the profession. She continued to prove naysayers wrong time after time as she kept on fighting.
She served as a role model in her crusade for equality through her quiet perseverance and boldness. She was known for her calm demeanor and fought, and often won her cases, with integrity. Her desire for all women to be independent sparked a revolution.
By all accounts, she also managed to achieve one of the epic love stories with her husband, Marty. They met at Cornell University when, for some women at the time, going to college to find a husband was common. He fell for her brain and supported her, just as she supported him when he was diagnosed with cancer when they
both were students at Harvard Law School. She attended her classes and his while raising a toddler, as she helped Marty successfully battle serious medical issues. Later, he was integral in her consideration to become the first Jewish woman, and the second woman overall, to serve as a Supreme Court Justice, lobbying onher behalf because she was too modest to do it herself.
As a child growing up in the 1970s and 1980s I never felt constrained in my belief that I could join whatever profession I wanted because ofmy gender. My parents always instilled that in me, but for my mother and women before her, it was not easy. Women were often relegated to second-class citizens where their input was deemed unimportant.
Today, women make up more than half of the students
in law school. They comprise more than half of the attorneys in my office. Deservedly so. Each of them has worked tirelessly to get here, and continue to work hard, along with their male colleagues, seeking justice for a living.
To be clear, we still have a long way to go to ensure equality for all people. Women are still paid
less than men for the same work. Sexual harassment is still rampant in the workplace. The law needs to go further to protect all people equally. But, because of the persistence, intelligence, and dedication of the late justice, we have seen monumental changes that were unimaginable at one time.
The late justice has said that her legacy was “to
make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.” Those words continue to inspire and motivate me every day.
It is Jewish tradition to say, “may her memory be a blessing” when someone passes to remind us to focus on the contributions and
legacy of a life well-lived. However, there is another phrase that was coined in Israel to honor victims of hate crimes and domestic violence that is said at a time when we must galvanize to spearhead change and action that I think is more fitting for the late Justice Ginsburg:
“May her memory be for a revolution.”