With its looming and unaddressed land-grab histories, Cornell cannot cherry-pick its “good” legacies without acknowledging its wrongs.
Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended Cornell University as an undergraduate. To this day, Cornell commemorates Ginsburg as one of the university’s most famous alumni- recently naming a residence hall in her honor. Ginsburg is often remembered for her passion for gender equality and civil rights. However, Ginsberg’s rulings were not always favorable to all women- specifically Indigenous Women. On International Women’s Day, Indigenous scholar and activist Michelle Schenandoah spoke to Cornellians regarding her analysis of Ginsburg’s “Feminist Legacy.” Read more in the Cornell Daily Sun article covering her lecture. In addition, check out this article by Dr. Meredith Alberta Palmer “Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s notoriety in Indian country and Cornell’s campus landscape.“