by Audrey Anderson
Hometown Weekly Reporter
Earlier this month, the Walpole Public Library (WPL) invited the public to attend "I Dissent" by Sheryl Faye Presents Historical Women. Talented actor Faye presents educational one-woman shows to adults and children at schools, libraries, senior centers, and other venues. She regularly portrays twelve different prominent women in history, including Helen Keller, Susan B. Anthony, and Sally Ride, in shows throughout the U.S. In Walpole, Faye performed "I Dissent," a show about Ruth Bader Ginsburg from her schoolgirl years to her tenure on the U.S. Supreme Court. The audience in Walpole learned how Ginsburg first encountered injustices and challenges in her life and then how she dealt with the same issues as a groundbreaking law professor, U.S. Circuit Court judge, and U.S. Supreme Court justice.
Faye skillfully used Ginsburg's accent, mannerisms, gait, and other traits, to share scenes in her subject's life, telling her story directly to the audience. Multimedia added depth to the story. Video featuring actual photos from Ginsburg's life added reality to the background. In addition, Faye interacted with videos of actors portraying people in Ginsburg's life. As Faye deftly moved between stages of Ginsburg's life and career, she changed clothes, added different hats and wigs, and used multiple props. Fay brought Ruth Bader Ginsburg to life, so the audience would not only learn about her accomplishments, but also experience them with her.
Through Faye's portrayal, the audience learned that Ginsburg wanted to play sports in school, but was told that girls could not. Her mother encouraged her to get a college education, so she would be in a position to make changes in society. Ginsburg remembered her mother's encouragement, and went on to get a B.A. at Cornell, where she met her future husband, Martin. Soon after, Ginsburg became a wife and mother, so she put her career aside for a time.
When Martin went to Harvard Law, she followed him there and became a Harvard Law student herself. Then her husband got a job in New York City, and she transferred to Columbia Law to keep the family together.
As Ginsburg graduated law school as first in her class and looked for a job, she encountered maddening discrimination, as a Jewish person, a woman, and a mother. She also juggled taking care of her two children and her husband, who was diagnosed with cancer.
She eventually took a job as a professor at Rutgers Law, even though she had wanted to practice law at New York firm. At Rutgers, she questioned why she wasn't being paid the same as male professors.
Ginsburg did eventually practice law, and worked on Reed vs. Reed, a case that led to the passage of Title IX, which mandated that girls in school and college have equal access to participation in sports. She also fought for female employees to receive the same retirement benefits as men.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ginsburg as a judge in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and in 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated her as a Supreme Court justice. In the Supreme Court, Ginsburg showed her devotion to equal treatment of men and women through proudly reading dissenting opinions aloud in court. She became a beloved role model for women, who wore her signature lace collars in tribute to her accomplishments, as she served to the end of her life.
