MAINE, USA — As people across the country mourn the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, many are coming together to honor her life and legacy with vigils. Friday night following the news of her death, hundreds gathered at the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. to mourn together.
Ginsburg, the nation’s first Jewish Supreme Court justice, died on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year festival. While many vigils, including one organized by The Women’s March, are planned for Saturday, some like those in Maine are postponing events until the Jewish holiday is over when the sun sets on Sunday.
Events in Maine include vigils in Portland, Bangor, and Bar Harbor.
“This is not a rally, it’s a vigil. It’s not political,” Bangor vigil organizer Aubrae Filipiak told NEWS CENTER Maine. She said the event is meant to honor the life and legacy of someone who has meant a lot to a lot of different groups and individuals.
“She fought and made a difference for many Americans,” Filipiak said. She said the vigil is an opportunity to mourn with others who feel the same way.
Filipiak said she was “reeling” about the news of Ginsburg’s death and what it meant for the country and community on Friday night. And after realizing a vigil wasn’t planned in Bangor, she decided to organize one herself.
“It’s what I can do—I stepped up,” she said.
The Bangor vigil will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building.
In Portland, there will be a vigil held in Monument Square, also slated to begin after sunset at 7 p.m.
The event organizers say they originally planned for the vigil to be held on Saturday but moved it to Sunday “so that our friends in the Jewish community can celebrate Rosh Hashanah and we can all join together to mourn in community.”
Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Bar Harbor Village Green, a group called “Indivisible MDI” is also hosting a vigil.
“RBG was a fierce champion of justice and equality on the Supreme Court,” organizers wrote in the event listing. “We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude, and we must fight hard to uphold the ideals of equality and justice to which she dedicated her life.”
All three events ask that people wear masks and practice social distancing.
If you know of an event we may have missed, please let us know. You can text us at 207-828-6622, or message us on our social media accounts.