The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg devastated the nation, but also galvanized allies of social justice who rallied together and pledged their commitment to honoring the legacy of the American icon.  Politicians, celebrities and dozens of other Americans went to social media after hearing the tragic news on Friday, expressing their admiration of the women's rights champion and how they plan to honor her. 

1.

Civil rights advocate Bernice King reminded Americans to rise up despite the heartbreak and continue fighting for justice.

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Lawyer and author Meena Harris used Ginsburg's own words to uplift the nation.

"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you," wrote, quoting the 87-year-old woman.

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Activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham embodied the life of Ginsburg with a series of inspirational words.

"Grieve. Breathe. Strategize. Organize. Fight. Keep fighting," Cunningham said.

4.

In a period of tribulation, which has brought increased social unrest along with the pandemic and the loss of too many cultural icons, Cunningham reminded social justice advocates to choose a path of resilience.

"I choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism.
I choose fortitude over fatalism," the activist wrote. "I choose to be who my ancestors protected and my creator formed.
I choose strategy and organizing as the container for my anger. I choose to be more than a conqueror."

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Filmmaker Austin Vesely echoed the words of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, reminding Americans that it is not a time to sulk.

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Noah Michelson, editorial director at Huffpost, reminded the nation to use grief as motivation in the fight for social justice.

"We don’t have to believe things happen for a reason to believe things mean something when they happen," Michelson said. "Let the grief and fear and love threatening to swallow us be what we need to fuel us to find the courage to change the world around us."

7.

The death of Ginsburg is the latest tragedy in a year that has brought the loss of too many icons, including Kobe Bryant, John Lewis and Chadwick Boseman. Some are imagining how they would fight 2020 if 2020 was a person.

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As the November election inches closer, many voters will be going to the ballots with the motivation of honoring heroes such as John Lewis, Elijah Cummings and Ginsburg.

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Rep. Maxine Waters urged Senate Democrats to honor the dying wish of Ginsburg, who said she doesn't want her seat to be filled until a new president is installed.

"Senate Democrats, do not back down," Waters wrote on Twitter. "You have a tough fight ahead, but our future is on the line! No SCOTUS appointment before the election!!!"

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As Blavity previously reported, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement on Friday and opposed the final wish, which the justice expressed to her granddaughter a few days earlier.

“President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” the senate majority leader said.

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With the death of Ginsburg, voters are concerned about the possibility of President Donald Trump making the next appointment and giving conservatives a 6-3 majority on the court, which could pose a significant hurdle in the fight for social justice. 

Advocates for civil rights are urging the public to get involved in political action now more than ever.

12.

Ginsburg, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009, announced the recurrence of the disease earlier this year, CNN reported. She died on Friday at the age of 87. 

Eve Levenson, a junior at George Washington University in Washington, DC, said seeing a woman on the Supreme Court was inspirational.

“RBG was one of the main reasons I grew up believing that despite what anybody said about my religion, ethnicity, or gender that I could do anything I set my mind to,” Levenson, who is Jewish, told CNN. “Seeing yourself represented in the highest court of the land is a powerful image.”

According to Politico, the social justice champion served on the Supreme Court for almost 30 years. 

"She steadfastly protected the rights of African Americans, women, immigrants, gays and lesbians, persons accused of crimes, political dissidents, and other groups in our society whose rights and interests are too often disregarded by a hostile or indifferent majority," Geoffrey Stone, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, said according to Politico. 

Chadwick-BosemanDr. Bernice KingJohn lewisKobe-bryantMitch McConnellrep. maxine watersRuth Bader Ginsburg