Justice, justice, thou shalt pursue

“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” Just a few days ago, Honorable Supreme Court Justice and American Hero Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. "Our nation has lost a justice of historic stature," Chief Justice John Roberts said. "We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague.” As a Hyphenated-American, I am heartbroken, for RBG stood for so much more than mere justice. She was a proud feminist, an advocate for equality, a change agent and certainly, a champion for progressive rights. 

Yet, her legacy will continue to shine within the laws she helped protect. Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been on the federal bench for twenty-five years. In 1993, she became the second woman ever to serve on the United States Supreme Court. Through her time, she has continued to be a leading voice for gender equality, women's interests, and civil rights and liberties. 

So how should we remember RBG? While no doubt she’ll be remembered by many for her trailblazing legal career – starting from enrolling in law school in the 50’s when the legal profession was barely ready to accept women – to her meteoric rise to the highest court in the nation. She’ll also be fondly recalled for her work on gender discrimination and reproductive justice. As a Hyphenated American, I’ll like to remember RBG for her role in helping overturn the Trump administration’s decision to end DACA in the DHS v. Regents of the University of California case just a few months ago. Every Dreamer in this country is a Hyphenated American. The Supreme Court’s decision on DACA this past June has been life-changing for hundreds of thousands who have benefited from the DACA program.

RBG joined Chief Justice Roberts and three other liberal judges on the bench (Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan) to make way for a powerful rejection of Trump’s ideas. She lived her beliefs and was never afraid to voice them. “Justice, justice, thou shalt pursue.”