RBG’s legacy of justice and civility
It's important to remember what unites us. To do that, we honor a true champion for justice and civility.
An American flag waves in Woodstock, Vermont, on July Fourth. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
While the nation faces swirling political headwinds, it's important to remember what unites us. To do that, we honor a true champion for justice and civility. Those qualities never had a stronger guardian than Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was honored throughout the nation following her Sept. 18 passing.
Ginsburg's tireless work fighting for women's rights stands as a shining example of unity through justice. Her courage moved the country forward. She waged her own battles against gender discrimination, notably at Harvard Law School, where she was one of nine women in a class of over 500. She would later take that battle to the courts in the 1970s, when, with the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, she won several landmark Supreme Court decisions striking down laws that treated men differently than women based on gender stereotypes.
At the U.S. Supreme Court, Ginsburg’s work and rulings made an indelible mark on history, including the 1996 Virginia Military Institute case where she successfully fought for a women's right to attend the state funded, traditionally all-male school. In 2013, she issued a stinging dissent in the Shelby County case which removed federal oversight from a key Voting Rights Act provision meant to protect jurisdictions with a history of discrimination. As a CNN report noted, that 2013 case led to the start of the "Notorious RBG" moniker, which became part of popular culture and introduced her to new generations. She kept on breaking down barriers even after her death, becoming the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Throughout her incredible career, Ginsburg's commitment to justice was combined with another constant: her defense of civility. That was exemplified in her longtime friendship with Justice Antonin Scalia, with whom she had little in common when it came to judicial views. But they shared other interests, and could still be friends. That's the substance unity is made of, and something we need to cultivate in today's world.
In an article in Forbes on Monday, Sarah Chamberlain, president and CEO of the Republican Main Street Partnership, recalled when she first met the famous justice.
"In a brief meeting I had with Justice Ginsburg, her words to me were simple and powerful: 'Keep going. Keep fighting.' Her struggles as a woman through poverty and prejudice inspired my own career to keep up the fight," Chamberlain wrote. "But I must note, it is not a fight meant to tear anyone down. Rather, it is a fight to build everyone up."
Efforts to build up face a constant test amid a bitterly contentious presidential campaign, racial tension, economic turmoil and the pandemic. Almost always, the problems appear much louder than even the thought of progress. For some, that means the issues can't be resolved. But Ginsburg showed us how to courageously confront the issues, keep the tone civil, and with time, bring more justice into people's lives. That unrelenting persistence, buttressed by action, organization and civility rather than volume, is what charts the course for true change. That's how we continue the fight.
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt captured what the nation must do, at last week's memorial service for Ginsburg at the U.S. Capitol:
"Even as our hearts are breaking, we must rise with her strength and move forward."
— Gareth Henderson
Woodstock kicks off weekly BLM vigil
A weekly Black Lives Matter vigil kicked off on Monday in Woodstock, Vermont, with the goal of continually showing solidarity with the movement.
Participants display their signs at Monday’s Black Lives Matter vigil in Woodstock, Vermont. At right, Willa Nohl and Ashley Murray (at far right) hold up the large BLM sign. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
A weekly Black Lives Matter vigil kicked off on Monday in Woodstock, Vermont, with the goal of continually showing solidarity with the movement.
Going forward, the vigil will be held each Monday from 5 to 5:30 p.m. at Tribou Park in Woodstock Village, at the intersection of Pleasant Street and Route 4. Many in the Woodstock community have been active supporters of Black Lives Matter, attending multiple events earlier this year in support of social justice in the wake of George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis. That included a Black Lives Matter car rally in Woodstock on the day of Floyd's funeral in June. Protests and vigils were also held in a number of other Upper Valley towns, some drawing large crowds.
The move to hold a Woodstock vigil each week started with local resident Mary Corrigan, who noted the nearby New Hampshire towns of Hanover, Lebanon and Canaan hold their own events regularly in support of BLM.
"I wanted to keep it on people's minds," she said.
Corrigan and fellow organizer Peggy Fraser spread the word about the vigil, with help from some members of local group Women For A Change. About 30 people showed up at Tribou Park on Monday afternoon, with a number of passing motorists honking in support.
Area residents support Black Lives Matter at a vigil in Woodstock, Vermont, on Monday. At center, Woodstock resident Jane Curtis, 103, displays the sign, “Know Justice, Know Peace.” Organizer Mary Corrigan is shown at far left. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
The vigil was organized prior to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday. At Monday's event, Fraser invited people at the vigil to fill out name tags with Ginsburg's name and wear them, in honor of her legacy.
Ashley Murray, a Mendon resident who helped hold up a large Black Lives Matter sign, said Ginsburg's many years of tireless work for justice were particularly poignant now.
"Her cases have done a lot to expand rights for a lot of people, and it's important to support that idea, which may now be threatened from a judicial perspective," Murray said.
At one point, a motorist drove by the vigil, rolled down the window and yelled, "Trump, Trump, Trump!", and then left. Murray said it's "disheartening" to see evidence of the political division in the country.
"I'd love to see people come together and see that it's for everybody," she said of Black Lives Matter. "It's basic human rights for everyone."
Pamela Fraser, of Barnard, whose mother, Peggy, helped organize the vigil, said the political climate makes it even more important to come out and support the movement for social change.
"It's strange to me that it's become political to support ending injustice," Pamela Fraser said.
She was encouraged by the community's support of these efforts on Monday.
"I'm glad to see people still caring."
— Gareth Henderson
A bold step for change
It was an unprecedented moment in sports, when players took the reins completely, and forced the national spotlight to re-focus on racial justice.
When National Basketball Association teams boycotted playoff games last week to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake, players expressed the desire to take concrete action for real change. With November right around the corner, it was encouraging to see players focus on protecting the right to vote in 2020.
The players and the league agreed to turn NBA arenas into polling places for the November election, as part of an accord to resume postseason play on Saturday. It’s also a move to fight voter suppression ahead of November’s vote, by improving access to safe, in-person voting. Also in the new agreement, NBA leadership said they would form a social justice coalition and create new advertising that promotes "greater civic engagement in national and local elections."
All this began after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play their playoff game against the Orlando Magic last Wednesday, in protest of the Aug. 23 police shooting of Blake, an unarmed Black man, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Multiple gunshots from an officer left him paralyzed, and a state investigation is ongoing.
On Wednesday, events moved quickly: The Magic and other NBA teams followed the Bucks’ lead, and all that day’s games were postponed. Then other leagues joined the walkout, including the Women’s National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. The National Hockey League postponed playoff games later in the week, and some National Football League teams cancelled practices. With Thursday’s NBA games also postponed, the players met that day and agreed to continue the playoffs Saturday after the league agreed to the now-released plan.
The Bucks’ action led to an unprecedented moment in sports, when players took the reins completely, and forced the national spotlight to re-focus on racial justice and the importance of voting. If people want to make the biggest difference this year, it will be at the ballot box. The NBA’s strong, collective voice will have an important national impact, and the recent agreement with its players is a great step forward to ensure all people have access to the vote. This is the kind of decisive action the country needs in order to affect true change.
— Gareth Henderson