The Music Center has just announced that it is providing Angelenos the opportunity to purchase access to RBG, the Emmy-winning documentary of the extraordinary life and legacy of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who died on September 18, 2020. The Center states that the proceeds from purchase benefits ACLU’s Women Rights Project which was founded by Ms. Ginsburg in 1972, and the Music Center as Part of Continued Partnership with Magnolia Pictures.
RBG was directed and produced by Betsy West and Julie Cohen and co-produced by Storyville Films and CNN Films. The documentary is available for purchase for $6.99 on The Music Center Offstage, beginning on Friday, September 25, 2020. This will include access to a Q&A with the directors from earlier this past summer.
The documentary, RBG, was filmed when Ginsberg was 85 years old and still acting as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. The film looks at her life, her long and important legal accomplishments, as well as her unprecedented status as a pop culture icon, “The Notorious RBG”. There are extensive interviews with Ginsburg as well as commentary and stories from Ginsberg’s family, NPR’s legal affairs correspondent and long time friend Nina Totenberg, Gloria Steinem, Republican Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, the man who nominated Ginsberg to the Supreme Court in 1993, democratic President Bill Clinton, and others.
American journalist Jeffrey Brown said on the PBS News Hour: Appropriate for the age of social media, the cultural stardom of Ruth Bader Ginsburg began in 2013 with a Tumblr account, the Notorious RBG, a takeoff on the well-known rapper the Notorious B.I.G. It was the creation of then-NYU Law student Shana Knizhnik, inspired by a powerful Ginsburg dissent defending voting rights.
“People ask me, ‘don’t you feel uncomfortable with a name like the Notorious RBG?'” Ginsburg said in February 2017, as NBC reported. “Why should I feel uncomfortable? We have a lot in common. First and foremost, we were both born and bred in Brooklyn, New York.” According to Biography.com, Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G., was born in Brooklyn on May 21, 1972, some 39 years after Ginsburg was born in the same borough.
Shana Knizhnik and others have stated correctly that Justice Ginsburg’s words were a beacon of hope and a call to action to those us who women’s rights, voting Rights or equal justice under the law for all; that “We the People” in the U.S. Constitution means everyone not just the select few. There is now a Facebook page under the name of “You are now RBG”.
The documentary filmed Ginsburg her in her office, on vacation with her family and working out with her personal trainer, while delving into the dramatic stories of the clients she represented as a young lawyer arguing before the Supreme Court in the 1970s. At that time, it was legal to discriminate on the basis of sex. Ginsburg’s brilliant legal strategy resulted in five groundbreaking rulings that made great strides towards putting women and men on an equal footing before the law. Ginsburg’s successful legacy and determined actions were rooted in her approach to sexism and adversity with formidable legal skills to fight for justice for women for more than five decades. Her steadfast commitment, not only for gender equality but for democratic institutions that protect the rights of all citizens, remains an indelible part of American history.
“While small in stature and soft in voice, Justice Ginsburg was a powerhouse in brains and brawn. She not only equated women’s rights with human rights, but also helped defeat discrimination for all at home and in the workplace. All of us have much to thank this pioneer for ensuring the freedoms and liberties America offers are equal under the law,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO, The Music Center. Moore went on to say that The Music Center is thrilled to help audiences learn more about her story with the re-release of this film.”
For more information and to purchase the film, click HERE.
To learn more about The Music Center of Los Angeles, click HERE.
Written by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle.
Featured image: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in RGB – Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures, CNN Films