Today, September 25, 2020, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020), a true American hero, lies in state at the U.S. Capitol, the first woman in U.S. history and only the second Supreme Court justice to be honored in this way. As we mourn her loss, and celebrate her life and work, which she dedicated to fighting for women’s rights, defending civil liberties, championing gender equality, and keeping the wheels of justice spinning at the highest court in our nation (even while battling cancer fives times), we are proud to pay tribute through this incredible portrait by 13-year-old artist, poet and author Trisha Rao.
What’s particularly special and complex about Trisha’s RBG is that it’s a digital art collage she created using eight different acrylic paintings from her ever-growing portfolio of work. As her mother, Sumana, pointed out to us, “If you look closely – RBG’s hair is created with one painting, the black gown with another, and the background is another. The shading of the skin is a different painting, and the eyes and area around the eyes are two other paintings.”
To accompany her stunning portrait, Trisha shared her thoughts on RBG with WYSK…
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an amazing person and always stood up for her ideals and beliefs. She changed history by standing up for women everywhere. Women today have fairer laws and many more opportunities than they did years ago. She inspired many women to achieve their dreams and helped other people too.
“One of the most inspiring things about her was that she kept standing up for her beliefs even when she grew older. She always worked hard to achieve her dreams even when other people thought she was at her limit.
“Many people consider her a modern hero even after her death.
“She will be remembered forever as someone who changed history for women and fought to give them a fairer life.”
Trisha has been painting since the age of 2, and has always loved to express herself through art and poetry. Now 13, she’s created over 300 acrylic paintings, and is the proud author of an award-winning book, “Believe in Yourself”.
Her RBG portrait is the third piece of art we’ve had the privilege to showcase in the last year and a half from Trisha, so we like to think of her as our Women You Should Know artist-in-residence. In February 2019, we debuted her portrait of Katherine Johnson, the brilliant, trailblazing, and hidden-no-more NASA Mathematician. More recently, in April 2020, we featured Trisha’s gratitude-filled, encouragement-fueled ‘Hero Award’, a creative show of her appreciation for medical professionals on the COVID-19 frontline, which she made available for anyone, anywhere to share with the heroic healthcare workers in their hometowns and cities.
Thank you, Trisha, for sharing your talents with WYSK, once again, so that, together, on this most solemn day, we can honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman who has our eternal gratitude for what’s she’s done for all of us, an unstoppable trailblazer who has our deepest respect, and a fierce warrior whose legacy inspires us to fight harder.