Dear Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,

You once said, “I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”

Your memory will live on as the second ever woman Supreme Court justice, and as an advoacte for gender equality, same-sex marriage, and women’s rights. Before we continue your fight, we’d like to say a few things.

Thank you. Thank you for showing that our internal strength is all we need to create monumental change towards the things we care about. Thank you for showing us that gender does not limit our capability. Thank you for always fighting for what was right, even if people thought you were crazy. 

For most of your career, you were surrounded by people who invalidated your cause, and made you feel like an outcast. They tried to tear you down, but your strength never wavered. 

Thank you for being a warrior. While studying law at Harvard University, you raised a daughter. You were one of only eight women in your male-dominated Harvard class. You took on your husband’s coursework when he fell ill with cancer. All the while you were his caretaker, your daughter’s mother, and your university’s top student. Thank you for showing young girls and women around the world that despite the discrimination that you received, gender does not define one’s ability.

Thank you for your strength. Throughout your career, you continued to fight for equal rights. Whether it was in your class at Harvard, as the director of the Women’s Rights Project, or as the second female Supreme Court Justice, your resilience never ceased to amaze us. 

During the start of your career, women weren’t supposed to hold a position of power; they were supposed to raise the children, clean the house, and have dinner waiting for their husbands once they got home from work. You defied those standards, instead taking on the challenge of becoming a lawyer in a male-dominated career. 

How much rejection and disrespect you must have faced. Once, a professor gave you the answers to an exam, wanting sexual acts in return. You went to his office, saying “How dare you? How dare you do this?” When you took that exam, you intentionally made two mistakes to show that man your unparalleled strength and integrity. 

Thank you for teaching us selflessness. You once said at the Stanford Rathbun Lecture in 2017, “Do something outside yourself–something to repair tears in your community, something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you.” You remind us to be altruistic everyday. 

You fought against gender discrimination-not only for women, but for men. In the Wiesenfeld case, you fought for the rights of social security benefits for fathers who lost their spouses. In your heart you believed that everyone is equal.You continued to realize this until the day you passed. Case after case, trial after trial, you fought for women and men alike. You fought with your heart and your head and showed never-ending selflessness and compassion. 

Thank you for your determination in creating a brighter future. You once said, “When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, ‘When there are nine,’ people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” You believed that women can achieve anything- even things that seem out of reach. 

You inspired young women across the world to stand up for what they believe in. You fought for us when you were fighting against cancer as well. You showed us that when we are passionate about something, there is nothing we can’t do to achieve it. The determination you expressed throughout your life continues to motivate us to push a little harder for what we believe.

Thank you for leading the fight for gender equality. You pushed through many barriers and paved the way for many amazing women to succeed and thrive. Without your strength and perseverance, America would be a different place. 

You changed the way that law views gender, opening a nation of equality for women of the future. You reached all different age groups across America and showed your strength and power while you served in the Supreme Court. You shaped America into an equal place for your children and grandchildren. 

Generations to come will follow in your footsteps and continue paving the way for women’s equality in America. You started the fight for equality, and it’s up to our generation to finish it.

It’s not often women go down in history for their achievements, and far less so with ‘notorious’ as an epithet. We thank you for all that you’ve done – for your courage and continued determination in the face of unending adversity. You taught countless young girls to question the patriarchal dominance and to be confident in their worth regardless of the relentless arsenal of sexist societal norms.  

Your life has meant so much to generations of women, and your passing will not be in vain. Your memory will be a continued revolution, until the day we can rest knowing that all humans are equal under the law. Though you will not be here to see the final product, this fight has always and will always include you. 

Sincerely,

The women of High School 1327 News