Celebrating the Life of the Notorious RBG

It was the first news I learned on Facebook on this day, and I was glad I hadn't read it before bed, or I never would have slept a wink: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, feminist icon, Supreme Court Justice, had died.

The Notorious RBG, as she was known to some, was a hero and a role model. To me, she was, first and foremost, a stalwart warrior for gender equality. And that included championing women's reproductive rights and freedoms, a cause very near and dear to my own heart.

I knew we had to do something right away to honor and remember her, and so I got out my little RBG keychain, purchased at a local Ten Thousand Villages store a few years ago (and available for purchase here online), and I used that as my subject. She's chock full of justice, but just a few inches tall; travel-sized for our convenience, if you will.

Then, I went to my big sister's butterfly garden, and I trimmed some pretty blooms off a butterfly bush for my tribute. My big sister, another of my feminist heroes (although she may not have claimed that terminology for herself), would have approved.

And then we took some photos. You will see that one of the little red-shirts has climbed upon her arm; that's because he wanted to know how it felt to sit at the right hand of Justice. (Though, of course, this lady herself was a famous leftie.)

But it didn't end there. My husband and I had a hike planned. We headed right back into the Moshannon State Forest, to the site where we camped about two weeks ago, and that's where we spent our day. Tiny Tiger insisted we take our own mini-RBG (shortly christened Lil' RBG by all of us) along on the day's adventures. And as Shakespeare himself might have said, though she be but little, she is FIERCE!

And so it was that Tiny Tiger and Lil' RBG sat arm-in-arm on logs together, walked on soft moss, enjoyed the shade of a million green ferns, rocked out to some tunes (Rock on, Lil' RBG!), and shared a spot in the cup holder of my chair. Finally, as the afternoon drew to a close, they sat on my daysack and enjoyed the last bit of sunshine on the trail, just before we headed for home (see extra photos area).

For those of us to whom she was a hero, with this loss, it might be tempting to despair. As Mr. King has said, the arc of the moral universe may be long, and it may bend toward justice. But it sure might help for those with equality and justice in their hearts to give that arc a little (or maybe even BIG) PUSH in the right direction once in a while.

In the last bits of light, before we left the woods, I heard T. Tiger conversing with Lil' RBG. And the topic was a question about the future. For what is left for us, now, with the passing of this great (though tiny in stature) champion for justice?

"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you." This is one of my own favorite RBG quotes. I have spent my whole lifetime's work in such a way, as a champion of equity and access for all. So yes, I do. I will try to do my part to make the world a better place. Will you promise to do the same?

Here is a soundtrack song for a story about justice: John Mellencamp, with Justice and Independence. Now those are BOTH things I can get behind. And so can T. Tiger. . . . and so can Lil' RBG.

Important note: These whimsical photos of Lil' RBG are meant to show great respect and appreciation for the life of the real RBG.
May her memory be a blessing.
May her memory be a revolution.