by Diane Proctor
The wedding gift thank you notes I penned in June 1968 were tear-stained as I watched the funeral of Robert Kennedy. The letters I am sending today to voters in Florida suffer the same drenching as I observe the service for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Both Bobby and Ruth are icons who inspired generations to be actively attentive to the responsibilities of citizenship and justice. And although one died at age 43 and the other at 87, both died too young.
Learning about the death of Martin Luther King, Bobby was on the campaign trail. He spoke spontaneously: “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black.” He implored citizens to care for each other and not allow despondency to overwhelm us.
Ruth inspired the same compassion and commitment in anyone who listened. She wrote, “I tell law students… if you are going to be a lawyer and just practice your profession, you have a skill—very much like a plumber. But if you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself…something that makes life a little better for people less fortunate than you….Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” Feisty and principled to the end, yet beloved by even her fiercest intellectual combatants on the court, she taught women that there is nothing they cannot achieve.
There are, as of this writing, only 40 days left before the Presidential election. As voting rolls are being purged and court battles fought over the counting of mail-in ballots, we cannot feel confident that the 15th Amendment and 19th amendments will be honored. We must each be vigilant and willing to speak out to protect the fundamental right of every citizen to vote.
Robert Reich recently explained the reason our system seems fragile: “The problem for America…is this is not an even match. Those who fight for power will bend or break rules to give themselves every advantage. Those who fight for principle are at an inherent disadvantage because bending or breaking rules undermines the very ideals they seek to uphold.” Ruth would insist on fighting hard for principle. We must listen.
While Ginsburg was quiet and deliberative personally, her influence remains noisy and even raucous. Her life inspired Kate Kavanagh, the founder of Concord Individual and the icon who dons her Lady Liberty outfit to ignite citizen action to say, “Ruth has now passed the torch, and we better take it and run as hard and as fast as possible.”
Work with Concord Indivisible, T2020, or other responsible organizations to see what sort of difference you can make. Please, act NOW.
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