Crowd honors Ginsburg, rallies for future

As they did all across the country, women, their daughter and sons, and men gathered Saturday evening to pay tribute and recognize the ground breaking importance of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsuerg in their lives and in the future of the country. The 100-plus people who came to the 7 p.m. vigil at the Skagit County courthouse on Kincaid Street in Mount Vernon, with its makeshift memorial on the steps mimicking, scaled down, the sentiments spoken by those at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

Ginsburg, the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, died Friday of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was 87.

People brought flowers and candles, placing them by a sketch of a white “dissenting collar” on a black background, a tribute to Ginsburg’s characteristic attire she wore in court when decisions were made.

Women, primarily, spoke from the steps to the group, in the impromptu way that seems characteristic of these events. The first speaker shared “I am really frightened. I have two young children,” sharing a common sentiment that evening of the protection and advancement of women’s rights that Ginsburg championed and the fear that her death foreshadows drastic changes.

“Tonight we mourn. Tomorrow we fight for everything RGB stood for. Tomorrow we put all our energy into fighting to make the world a really beautiful place. Carry her memory forward and let her death be the start of a revolution,” she ended.

The roughly half-dozen speakers emphasized the themes of taking time to mourn and preparing to carry progressive rights forward.

Dodge Valley resident Alix Foster, a retired lawyer, reflected on Ginsburg as a role model in her career, then urged the crowd to work on targeted elections across the country to “flip the (U.S. Senate). We only need three or four seats. I encourage you to donate.” It was vital, she said, to flip Republican controlled state legislatures by supporting the several organizations with that goal.

Rosalinda Guillen, of La Conner, a longtime farmworker organizer, reminded the crowd “We are Skagitonians and have stood together for a long time.” Justice Ginsburg, she said, “showed what true justice is supposed to be. She was an example for all of us.” While the work now was to elect Democrat Joe Biden president, Guillen said November’s voting was bigger than the two candidates. “All our futures are at stake right now, she said.

A young woman from Bow, Sage Nuilhiot, provided perspective, reflecting “It is really important to realize how far we have come. Before she made these changes (reducing discrimination based on sex), a woman had to have her husband’s permission. It was incredibly sexist. I am grateful for all she did.”

Artificial votive candles were passed out before 7:30 p.m. and were turned on and held aloft. An elder called out, mournfully, “say her name,” and the group replied “Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” This was repeated twice more. Someone offered the chant “today we mourn” and the response came, “tomorrow we fight.” That was repeated once.

From the street a small throng broke into “God Bless America,” which many took up. By 7:45 p.m. those with votive candles were leaving them at the memorial and the vigil ended.

An Anacortes tribute took place at noon Sunday at Commercial Avenue and 12th Street.