On Sept. 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Ginsburg was a huge advocate for women’s rights in her 27 years of service in the Supreme Court, which made her a role model for FAU students like Lillie Feller, the Vice President of FAU’s National Organization for Women.

“To be honest, RBG’s passing hit me quite hard. She was my hero. She exemplified such greatness and perseverance as well as talent and drive when faced with so many hardships,” said Feller. “I have always been in such awe of her accomplishments, and this loss, despite the fact that RBG made statements about the return of her cancer, still came as a great surprise to me.”

Ginsburg was just the second woman to sit on the Supreme Court after being nominated by Bill Clinton in 1993.

Her leadership was something that Savannah Havens, Vice President of Campus Outreach for FAU’s Hillel Jewish Center, specifically admired.

“I think that the most inspiring thing about RBG is that she was incredibly consistent and strong as a leader,” Havens said. “Despite a lifetime of pushback from all different aspects of her career, she remained true and led in a way that made others want to follow.” 

Ginsburg had specifically been a big role model for NOW, as she was a pioneering advocate for Women’s rights. She was a key contributor to the 1996 court case that opened Virginia Military Institute’s doors to women and fought against Goodyear Tire to grant their female workers equal pay. 

“NOW was originally founded in the 60s, moving into the apex of the 2nd wave of feminism. This coincided with the height of RBGs recognition as one of the finest pillars in gender-based discrimination litigation, so just the fact that she had overcome so many obstacles and found such success in her field played a huge role in how feminism was perceived overall,” Feller said. 

To Feller, she owes to the female icons like Ginsburg for making NOW at FAU an organization that can be run. 

“Without women like RBG, Gloria Steinem, Shirley Chisholm, or even Betty Friedan, our chapter probably wouldn’t exist. In some ways, we owe the chairs that we sit in to figures like RBG. Suffice it to say, she will be greatly missed.“

Ginsburg’s impact on the country has also inspired others around campus, like Tyler Radenbaugh, the president of Owls for All, to spark change around the FAU community.

“I think that one of the most important things people can do is to get involved in the political system,” Radenbaugh said. “Start caring about politics because it affects your life. Learn about your constitutional rights, research issues, develop informed opinions, and register to vote! Our country is more fragile than it seems and to paraphrase Ben Franklin, this is a republic as long as we can keep it.”

Ginsburg’s dying wish, which was for the government to wait until after the inauguration of the winner of the 2020 Presidential Election to vote in her replacement, had also warranted some concern from the FAU community.

“I think her dying wish to uphold the federal government, specifically the President and Senate, to wait until after the inauguration of the next president is essential in preserving her memory,” said Havens. “She always fought for what was fair, up to her very last breath, and if that is her wish, to uphold the precedent from 2016, then it is only just to do so. On a more personal level, I believe that continuing to fight for women’s rights and reproductive rights is to complete her mission.”

Colby Guy is the Features Editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him @thatguycolbs.