Ruth Bader Ginsburg: a tribute

The Next 100 Years project has paid tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the US Supreme Court Justice who died last week at the age of 87.

Dana Denis-Smith, founder of the Next 100 Years said Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was an inspiration both to her and many others who have been involved in the First 100 Years and Next 100 Years projects.

Ginsburg was the only woman on the Supreme Court at the time of her death and only the second woman to have been appointed a Supreme Court justice.

“One of my favourite pieces of advice she gave”, said Denis-Smith, “is ‘my mother’s advice was, don’t lose time on useless emotions like anger, resentment, remorse, envy.

“’Those, she said, will just sap time; they don’t get you where you want to be’.”

Denis-Smith added: “This is front of mind as we work towards a more equal society and push for the advancement of women in the legal profession.

She said Ginsburg belonged to a type of feminism that sought to use available means, such as the law, to create deep and lasting change.

“In our relatively brief history as working professional women”, she added, “this has proved to be a focused and successful approach when compared to the earlier, sometimes more violent, means of seeking rights for women.

"Her story is also one of social mobility: education opens up opportunities for women and allows them to have choices in life.

“She fought to ensure that women not only gained access to education, but that they also gained equal access to opportunities, whatever they chose to become.

“She did not frame her fight as a zero-sum game but rather as a win-win, where equal rights deliver dignity and opportunity for both men and women, so that they can exercise their choices freely.” 

The Next 100 years campaigns to drive equality for women in law, and the First 100 Years.