Mourners gather to honor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Sept. 24, 2020 | Sarah Heinonen
sarah@thereminder.com

Mourners listen to a clip of Ginsburg speaking on the topic of equal rights.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

SPRINGFIELD – The brick esplanade in front of the Springfield Federal Courthouse on State Street was quiet on the night of Sept. 19, but just after 8 p.m., small groups of two and three people at a time began to arrive, until roughly 20 people had gathered there. Lighting candles they had brought with them, people clustered loosely, maintaining social distances.             

They spoke quietly to each other, remembering the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The memorial vigil was one of many gatherings at courthouses across the country. While there was no one organizer, a call went out on social media, from groups such as March for Women, to meet at federal courthouses, and the word spread organically.

Ginsburg began her career as a lawyer and law professor. She was named to the Supreme Court in 1993. While there she issued several landmark decisions, as well as famously scathing dissents, earning her the nickname “The Notorious RBG.”

Springfield City Councilor Jesse Lederman was one of the first people to arrive at the courthouse. He had heard about the memorial from a mass text.

“I think this is a national moment to mourn the loss of someone who really made the Supreme Court accessible. The passion with which she stood up for the things that could influence [the people], she made people understand what the court could do in their lives,” Lederman told Reminder Publishing. “It weighs really heavy. The nation is in mourning, but I think we can find solace in that leaders are coming up, in the next generation too.”

Marla Z., of Greenfield was visiting her sister in Amherst when she heard about the memorial. The two women decided to drive down together.

“I wanted to pay homage to a great lady. This was very upsetting for a lot of reasons – the political climate and the timing,” she said, referring to the impending presidential election. “We lost John Lewis this year. We’re losing all the good ones,” she said.

Mary Chelli of Springfield said, “I really believe Ruth Ginsburg is an inspiration for those who believe in equality for individuals.” She spoke about the “outstanding contributions” Ginsburg has made to American society.

Some people mourning Ginsburg wore masks with her likeness on them. The masks were made by 15-year-old Faye Desarro. She began making and selling masks in the spring, and has been making the Ginsburg masks for a couple of months. She said that she has sold many of them, but said they have now taken on a new significance.

Speaking of Ginsburg’s death, Desarro said, “I’m obviously sad about it. It’s honestly really scary. Hopefully, a new justice will be confirmed after the election, but I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

People stood quietly and listened as one attendee took out her phone and played a clip of one of Ginsburg’s early oral arguments as a lawyer before her time on the bench. In the 1972 case, Frontiero v. Richardson, Ginsburg argued to the Supreme Court that the husband of a female member of the Air Force should be allowed dependent status without stipulations because wives of male Air Force members were automatically granted that same status.

Equal rights for women was one of the causes that Ginsburg championed from her seat on the court. Ginsburg issued influential opinions on co-ed admissions to public colleges, equal pay in the workforce and abortion protections, among others.

“People forget, but women couldn’t get a credit card. We couldn’t get a mortgage,” said Christine Tetreault, noting the rights for women that Ginsburg helped secure through her legal arguments as a lawyer and decisions as a judge. “People forget so quickly. I hope this reminds them.” Tetreault carried a sign that read “Tonight we mourn. Tomorrow we rise!”

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