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INSPIRE
RUTH BADER GINSBURG Alyssa Dearborn
Editor’s note: Syracuse Woman Magazine contributing writer Alyssa Dearborn recently traveled to Washington D.C. to pay her respects to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. These are her reflections on the visit and the iconic United States Supreme Court Justice.
A
s I exited the metro at Capitol South, riding up the escalator and passing a couple of Washington DC police officers, I found a street-side tree to wait by for my friend. It was only five days since I first heard the news that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died and only two days since I told my friend that I was planning a visit to D.C. It had been a very last-minute adventure and I would only be in the city for a little bit more than a day. But no matter how last minute or brief the adventure would be, I was determined to pay my respects to one of the most important women America would ever know. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hero for so many women in the United States and the days following her death were marked by collective mourning that I wanted to witness for myself. As I waited, I watched some of the passersby on their way to and from the memorial at the Supreme Court. There was no dress code for people wanting to pay their respects to Ginsburg.
Many had dressed their best as if they were attending her actual funeral, wearing dresses and suits with shoes not meant for trekking around the city. Others were dressed more casually. Some of these casual dressers sported shirts bearing the face and words of the woman they had traveled to visit. Every now and then I would see someone proudly wearing a white and lacy collar similar to the ones that Ginsberg often wore. As they passed, a vendor on a street corner shouted to them, begging for them to buy his wares. He was selling a variety of politically charged buttons and pins, most of them Notorious RBG themed. If someone did not bring their own RBG memorabilia, as they progressed up and down the streets, there would be plenty of opportunities to obtain some. My friend eventually arrived from the metro and we began to walk up the street together. We followed the direction of the crowds and were directed by traffic officers. The variety of groups attending
Detail, "The Four Justices" oil on canvas by Nelson Shank, is a tribute to the four female U.S. Supreme Court Justices. The entire painting measures seven feet wide by five-and-a-half feet tall.
November 2020
Philanthropy Edition
