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9/22/2020
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Rep. Williams issues statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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 STATE HOUSE – Rep. Anastasia P. Williams (D-Dist. 9, Providence) is releasing the following statement regarding the passing of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“This is another sad moment to an already trying year. A great warrior for equality, empowerment, justice, and fairness has completed her journey and has been called to rest. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nothing short of a legend and her record and legacy will prove this fact far into the future. It is fitting that we found ourselves celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, because now that Justice Ginsburg has gone to that high court in the sky, we must find our new voice to continue her courageous legacy of always fighting for the rights of the marginalized, the oppressed, and the persecuted.
“The Honorable Justice Ginsburg once said, 'I was fortunate to be a child, a Jewish child, safely in America during the Holocaust. Our nation learned from Hitler’s racism and, in time, embarked on a mission to end law-sanctioned discrimination in our own country. In the aftermath of World War II, in the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, in the burgeoning Women’s Rights movement of the 1970s, ‘We the People’ expanded to include all of humankind, to embrace all the people of this great nation. Our motto, E Pluribus Unum, of many one, signals our appreciation that we are the richer for the religious, ethnic, and racial diversity of our citizens.'
“Justice Ginsburg recognized what we as a society are capable of and she constantly fought to remind our country of its better angels and what is possible if we all come together and are ALL able to enjoy the constitutional rights bestowed upon us as Americans. There is still much more work to be done before we reach the ideals that Justice Ginsburg taught us throughout her esteemed career. There are still so many injustices to be righted and hate that needs to be stamped out. But then again, I believe that was her hope for us all, to unite in one voice and loudly declare that hate, racism, misogyny, persecution, and injustice have no place in our society and that everyone, no matter their background, gender, or beliefs has the right to peacefully live and coexist among everyone else in this great land.
“Her death now greatly underscores the importance of the upcoming election. We must take the values and lessons Justice Ginsburg instilled upon us to reject the divisiveness, the hate, and the untruths that seek to lead our country astray. She held on, as long as her body was able, because she knew that her position, our position, was too important to relinquish in the face of those who wish to strip our God-given rights away.
“Justice Ginsburg has been fighting for truth and righteousness for so long, and she has rightfully earned her peace and rest. And now, it is up to us to pick up her torch, to carry on her legacy of justice and equality, and to continue the good fight for fairness, compassion, and unity.
“That is the greatest lesson I take from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we are far stronger together than we are apart and that our differences do not make us weaker, but more united and ready and able to make our world a better place,” said Representative Williams.
For more information, contact:
Andrew Caruolo, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-6124
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