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At least 100 people attended a vigil organized by Planned Parenthood for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Arizona state Capitol.
Ginsburg died on Friday at her home in Washington at age 87.
“Justice Ginsburg has an amazing legacy,” Lola Bovell, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Arizona, told The Arizona Republic on Monday afternoon. “She was an incredible attorney, a trailblazer and the architect to the legal fight for human rights.”
Lawmakers attend vigil
Eddie Chavez Calderon of Arizona Jews for Justice opened the event with a blessing and a call for hope.
“May her memory not only be a blessing but a spark that ignites the flame of hope and justice within all of us,” Calderon said.
State Reps. Raquel Teran and Athena Salman, and Julie Gunnigle, a Democrat running for Maricopa County attorney, were among the speakers at the event.
Teran celebrated Ginsburg’s career, from pushing for equal pay through the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, to fighting for healthcare alongside President Barack Obama.
“When we took to the streets to pass Arizona’s fair-pay act and raise the minimum wage, we stood on the strong shoulders of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” she said.
Teran also highlighted the importance of Arizonans preserving Ginsburg’s legacy by voting.
“Between now and Election Day it’s up to us to make sure that Ginsburg’s impact lives on,” Teran said. “This is for our daughters, our granddaughters, and all our children of generations to come.”
Salman also took to the stage with an emotional tribute to Ginsburg.
“I would not be here if it wasn’t for Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Salman said. “She spent her entire life fighting for us.”
‘Advocacy doesn’t always have to be loud’
Bovell of Planned Parenthood expressed the importance of taking action now more than ever following Ginsburg’s passing.
“It is a time to grieve, but also a time to recognize that there is hope. Her legacy falls on our shoulders to carry forward,” said Bovell.
She called upon community members to get involved in political engagement by contacting state senators and making sure that rights and laws that Ginsburg fought for, such as the right to an abortion, do not get overturned.
“Her death epitomizes the urgency of the moment,” Bovell said. “The rights that so many of us have today are because of her work,” she continued.
“She was vocal, but she wasn’t the loudest person in the room. She spent a lot of time thinking, writing and reading,” Bovell said. “It’s a lesson for us that advocacy doesn’t always have to be loud. It comes in many different forms and can be just as powerful.”
Organizers asked all participants to wear a mask and practice social distancing at the event.
“Her passing is monumental, and there is a need to mourn,” Bovell said, “We at Planned Parenthood want to give people that opportunity while staying safe.”
Reach breaking news reporter Salma Reyes at [email protected] or on Twitter @r_salma_.
Read or Share this story: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2020/09/21/planned-parenthood-host-vigil-ruth-bader-ginsburg-capitol/5847017002/
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