People across the nation are mourning the passing of the venerated Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but nowhere is it more acutely felt than in her hometown of Brooklyn.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed this Friday at the age of 87 from pancreatic cancer, grew up in the 1930s and 40s on East Ninth Street in Midwood and graduated from James Madison High School; two places which people have been setting up makeshift memorials of candles, signs, and flowers in her memory.
“Our country has lost a legal giant and a trailblazer in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A daughter of Brooklyn, Justice Ginsburg spent her life tirelessly advocating for the rights of the vulnerable and marginalized in our society, from women to the LGBTQ+ community,” commented Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Adams hosted one of the many R.B.G. remembrances yesterday in front of the Brooklyn Municipal Building at 210 Joralemon and called on the city to rename the building after Ginsburg.
“She rightly gained an international profile and the playful moniker of ‘The Notorious RBG’ because of the moral force of her words and her vision for a fairer, more just society,” Adams said, citing Biggie Smalls nickname given to Ginsburg’s for her late-in-life popularity.
While Adams pushes for his request to immortalize Ginsburg, Governor Cuomo announced Saturday that New York will construct a statue of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Brooklyn.
Cuomo said in a statement that he would appoint a commission that would be tasked with selecting an artist and location for the sculpture.
As a lawyer, jurist and profess, she redefined gender equity and civil rights and ensured America lived up to her founding ideals – she was a monumental figure of equality, and we can all agree that she deserves a monument in her honor,” Cuomo said.
U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-East Flatbush, Central Brooklyn) acknowledged the strong feminist Ginsburg was in a statement yesterday, saying how she truly embodied all the values of the American Justice system.
“Although this news is devastating for all those who have admired the incredible work of Justice Ginsburg, we must remember the magnitude of the impact she left on our laws and values, and strive to uphold her legacy however possible.
“As a fierce advocate for Feminism and equality, we must remember the work of the incredible Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and continue the mission she left for us to complete. May she rest in peace,” she said.
Kings County Democratic Party Chair and Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park) said Justice Ginsburg’s legal opinions and powerful voice on the country’s highest court made her a role model to women across the nation and globe.“Justice Ginsburg’s contributions to the court will be sorely missed. Her leadership, her wisdom and her brave fight against the illness that eventually took her life should inspire not only the County in the days and years ahead, but the nation as it confronts extraordinary challenges. Justice Ginsburg’s legacy must be carried on by the next justice to serve on the court,” said Bichotte.
