With the Coronavirus pandemic and racial inequality, this year feels like a test for
people’s resilience. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a phenomenal, and resilient woman who
was determined to advocate for women’s rights. On September 18, 2020, Supreme Court Justice
Ginsburg died due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer when she was 87 years old.
Although Justice Ginsburg’s image with her frilly lace collar, black judicial robe, her oversize
glasses became an internet sensation she was notable for her inspiring change. In 1993, Ginsburg
was appointed by President Bill Clinton and served as the most senior member of the court's
liberal wing, delivering progressive votes on different social issues including abortion rights,
same-sex marriage, voting rights, immigration, health care, and affirmative action. One of her
accomplishments and goals in her position was to persuade the Supreme Court that the 14th
Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection applied not only to racial and sex discrimination
(Greenhouse, 2020). While reading her interviews, I admired her mannerisms and proactive
actions towards justice and equality for everyone. Not only was she intelligent, but she was also
funny. One of the favorite things I learned about her was the fact that she was bad at cooking and
enjoyed being with her family. Her confidence motivates me because she works tirelessly on the
hardships in her personal and professional career to obtain human rights for everyone. Perhaps
her resiliency is the key to learning how people can adapt and face adversity through hard times.
Personally, I’m anxious about the climate and the intense violence/threats rising during
the upcoming elections; however, I know that I’m not alone. Plenty of people are concerned
about the future. Many people are facing the challenges in their personal life like low wages, lack
of affordable housing, and inequality (income, discrimination), etc. According to the American
Psychological Association (2020), psychologists define resilience as the process of adapting in
the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, and other sources of stress including family and
relationship problems, serious health problems, or workplace and financial stressors. Being a
resilient person doesn’t mean that someone can just get up from the challenges in their life but
learning to acknowledge their emotions in hard times. No one can build resilience on their own
and professional help from a licensed mental health professional can be an appropriate solution
to empower you to grow. Admitting that you have challenges and struggles with well-being and
mental health is the first step to find the strength to learn from those experiences. Justice
Ginsburg once stated that before her first Supreme Court argument, she was very nervous that
she didn’t eat lunch because she was afraid of throwing up. But into the discussion, she realized
had she had a “surge of power” that carried her through difficult times. With every hurdle in your
life, your voice matters and you’re more resilient than you give yourself credit for.
Written by Nicole Roxanne Benquechea
References
American Psychological Association. (2020, February 1). Building your resilience. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/resilience
Greenhouse,L. (2020, September 18). Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court's Feminist Icon, Is Dead at 87. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/us/ruth-bader-ginsburg-dead.html
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