“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.” ~~ Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg
The year was 1993; I was 26-year-old newly separated mother of two young children. President Clinton was in office. I supported him although I admit I was skeptical of his ways in the world just as my parents were. Yet, despite my suspicions of the character of this President, I was impressed when he nominated a woman to the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Ruth was not just any woman; she litigated landmark cases on gender discrimination, exposing sexism, something I was experiencing in my own life at the time. In 1993 I really paid little to no attention to politics but Ruth’s appointment opened my eyes to civic participation. It still took years before I became ‘actively’ involved in voting and the political process. RBG’s presence on SCOTUS finally felt like somebody somewhere had my back. Greg Abbott, the Attorney General of Texas at the time (2002), stood firmly with both feet and both wheelchair wheels on my neck as I struggled to make ends meet while he did next to nothing to enforce child support payments. As I became more involved, it was clear just how pervasive gender discrimination and the oppression of all women affected my life and the life of my children. Abbott’s lack of action, his blatant disregard to secure financial support for my children left me with no other option but to hustle in any way that I could to provide for my children even if that meant I must sell myself out as both a woman and a mother. My child support case remains in ‘enforcement’ today almost two decades later. While RBG was and remains a beacon of hope for women, her dedication to learning and her interpretation of the law all while being a mother inspired and challenged me. She was my introduction to higher education, something my family rarely spoke about much less encouraged. Over the years, my hustle evolved into higher education pursuits so instead of racking up debt through credit cards and loans that I could not pay back I racked up student loan debt that helped me care for my family. Today, two master’s degrees and a Ph.D. later I am forever indebted to her. Without RBG there would be no me! RBG, thank you, you are already missed.
