International Women’s Day dates back to the early 1900’s. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. This is a call to choose to challenge and call out gender bias and inequality and to seek out and celebrate women’s achievements.

PPTC’s International Women’s Day run and brunch in 2020 was the last group event we had before the global pandemic was declared. This year, PPTC celebrated International Women’s Day virtually. The Social Committee set up a virtual event that planned out routes in Brooklyn that could be run to celebrate two of Brooklyn’s noted women: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Shirley Chisholm.

Leading up to International Women’s Day, I planned to run a route with other PPTC members to hit the four Brooklyn locations significant to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life. We all know too well how best laid plans can be foiled. And even as I was emailing our group to schedule our run on International Women’s Day - March 8th, I ended up having a conflict – a contractor coming to do some repairs that same morning. So, instead of heading out on Monday to meet Ruth (she/her), Joanne (she/her), Janet (she/her), and Michael (he/him) for the run, I set out on my own on the eve of International Women’s Day.

Sundays for me are always lazy days and especially so during the pandemic, so I got a late start on my run. There was a chill in the air, but it was a clear day and the sun was out. I put on my Bakline “The Future Is Female Runners” PPTC International Women’s Day Shirt and headed out. I must have known, but it was not part of my consciousness until recently that Ruth Bader Ginsburg grew up in Midwood – the neighborhood right next to mine. Should I run to the locations based on chronological significance to Justice Ginsburg’s life? Should I run to the furthest location and run back? In the end, I started by running to the location closest to my house. This was James Madison High School (on Bedford Avenue and Quentin Road).

Of course I’ve passed by James Madison H.S. before. I had friends who had attended Madison who must have known that RBG had been a student there. But, wait, we graduated from high school before President Bill Clinton appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in 1993. RBG’s status as an alumna of James Madison High School was not something that would have had any significance to us as high schoolers, even though by then Justice Ginsburg had championed many projects. These included: co-founding the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), successfully litigating some landmark cases establishing equal rights for women, and serving as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The next stop on my run was the Bader family’s synagogue – the East Midwood Jewish Center (1625 Ocean Ave between Ave K and Ave L). The East Midwood Jewish Center is grand. Surely back when young RBG was just Joan Ruth Bader, the synagogue must have been more modest. Beautifully adorned with stained glass windows this impressive structure must have been smaller during RBG’s childhood. But, no, the cornerstone for the East Midwood Jewish Center was laid in 1926 and the building was completed in 1929 – some four years before RBG’s birth in 1933. This beautiful building was where RBG attended services with her family. But much to her dismay, at age thirteen RBG was not permitted a bat mitzvah ceremony due to Orthodox restrictions against women reading from the Torah.

From the East Midwood Jewish Center, I proceeded to RBG’s childhood home (located at 1584 East 9th St between Ave O and Ave P). This is where little “Kiki” lived with her family. This was a more modest home, especially given the opulence and size of some of the houses just blocks away. As I approached the house, I took out my phone and as I was about to take a selfie, a woman parking her car right in front of the house gave me the strangest look. After a quick (not so great) selfie, I moved on. Doesn’t that woman know that it’s RBG’s childhood home? It can’t be that unusual for someone to take a selfie in front of the house. I did go back for a better selfie….

My last stop was Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s elementary school – P.S. 238 (located at 1633 East 8th St between Quentin Road and Ave P). When Joan Ruth Bader started school, her mother found there were several other girls named Joan in the school. To avoid confusion, RBG’s mother told the teachers to call her daughter “Ruth”. Would it have been the same if she were JBG? Notorious JBG? Little girls attending school at P.S. 238 must be so proud to be walking the same halls as a famous and influential Supreme Court Justice who had dedicated her entire life to the service of the people, equality, and justice. It was perhaps fitting to end my run at P.S. 238 where a sign outside commemorates RBG’s death.

International Women’s Day was on March 8th and Justice Ginsburg’s birthday was on March 15th. On March 13th, a statue of Justice Ginsburg was unveiled at City Point, and Brooklyn Borough President, Eric Adams, declared that March 15th would now be known as “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Day”. Any future RBG runs should include a visit to the statue in City Point (appointments to visit the statue are recommended at this time). March is Women’s History Month, so it’s not too late to go out on a run and celebrate some fantastic Brooklyn women, but I challenge you to celebrate women’s achievements every day.

PPTC is a diverse and supportive team. We want to celebrate the diversity of our club and membership. We welcome and encourage everyone to share their stories with us.

Text & photos by: Linda S. Chan(she/her)
Edited by: Rachael DePalma (she/her)
Produced by: Linda S. Chan

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2021 with RBG