In light of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Sept. 18, Brandon Ranallo-Benavidez, an assistant professor in Winthrop University’s department of political science, hosted a cultural event on Oct. 1 about the centennial of women’s suffrage and Ginsburg’s life-long advocacy for gender equity.
“[Ginsburg] was the second woman ever to serve the United States Supreme Court and this presentation is given in her memory today,” Ranallo-Benavidez said at the start of his presentation. “She was a strong advocate for gender equity and by that, I mean, have you ever had your own bank account? Especially if you’re someone who is not a man? Have you ever been able to get a line of credit? Do you want to have a mortgage and your own name someday? Do you have autonomy to control your body the way that you would like without the government being in your bedroom or doctor’s office? Thank Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The presentation made it clear that Ginsburg had her hand in much of the fight for equality and equity not only for women but for people of color as well as many other facets of people who are not white, straight men, who experience racism, sexism and a myriad of other kinds of unjust treatment.
“I love this quote from [Ginsburg] helping us think about gender equity. She famously said, ‘When I’m asked, when will there be enough women on the Supreme Court, and I say when there are nine. People are shocked, but there have been nine men, and no one’s ever raised the question about that,’” Ranallo-Benavidez said.
During the presentation, videos that presented two other famous advocates for gender equity that are following in the steps of Ginsburg were shown.
First was a video of Delegate Danica Roem from the Virginia House of Delegates, who is the first openly transgender state legislator, expressing her opinion that it was important for Virginia to be the 38th state to take the step of voting for passage of the Civil Rights Amendment.
“I know what it’s like to be singled out. I know what it’s like to be stigmatized because of who I am, and I know what it’s like, for so many more people, especially trans women of color in this country who have it so much worse. We talk about the pay gap, we talk about pay equity…we’re often told ‘you’re just lucky to have a job,’” Roem said in the video.
The second video that was shown was of the speech Oprah Winfrey gave at the 2018 Golden Globes about the Me Too Movement.
“I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon. And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘me too’ again,” Winfrey said in the video.
Each part of the presentation given by Ranallo-Benavidez was moving and served as a reminder of the legacy Ginsburg leaves behind.
“It was interesting to me, that the one providing the lecture was a man, however, I will say that he handled it very, very well and I did appreciate the fact that there was a cis white male, using his privilege and using his voice to empower and lift up women, minorities, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. I definitely feel like he handled it with elegance and with grace,” Paige Martinez, a junior theater performance major, said.
“RBG was such a powerful woman, like such a powerful woman, so inspiring. And literally, her entire life was dedicated for not even just women’s rights, but human rights overall,” Susana Atuncar, a junior international business and Spanish major, said. “Seeing the cultural event today, it was very eye–opening…I got chills for both of the videos that he presented.”
In order to keep celebrating Ginsburg’s memory and the centennial of women’s suffrage, more cultural events will be held such as Black Women and the Suffrage Movement with Jennifer-Dixon McKnight on Oct. 8 at 11 a.m. via Zoom, Hard Won, Not Done: Suffrage History in the U.S. with Karen Kedrowski on Oct. 27 at 11 a.m. via Zoom and ‘The Divine Order’ Film & Discussion with Jennifer Disney on Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Dina’s Place.
Photo by Marisa Fields-Williams
