By Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir

This week, the American people mourn the loss of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as RBG, a champion of the law and gender equality. My mother and RBG were both born in 1932 and faced the same discrimination and barriers against girls and women.

In 1959, RBG graduated first in her Columbia law school class, but no New York law firm would hire her because she was female, married, and a mother. Instead, she became a law professor, although she was paid less than her male colleagues and had to hide a pregnancy under loose clothes in order not to lose her teaching position. In the 1970s, working with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), RBG brilliantly argued and won a series of cases based on the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution's 14th amendment, which established that women and men have equal rights under the law.

These cases granted women the right to have a bank account, credit card, or mortgage without a male co-signer; the right not to be fired because of marital status, pregnancy, or motherhood; the right for a man to receive survivor benefits when his wife passed away; and the right for women to sit on a jury. Arguing in front of a Supreme Court of nine male justices, RBG famously concluded one oral argument, quoting Sarah Moore Grimke, a 19th century abolitionist and women's rights activist: "I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks."

Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993, RBG was only the second female justice. In 1996, she wrote the landmark opinion that struck down the male only admission policy at the Virginia Military Institute and joined the 2015 majority opinion that granted marriage equality for single sex couples. In her 28 years on the Supreme Court, RBG became a popular icon and judicial rock star. Thousands and thousands of Americans have gone to the Supreme Court in the last week to lay flowers and cards and mourn the woman who through tireless dedication to the law pressed forward the commitment of equal justice under law for all citizens. Justice Ginsburg is the first woman to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol, a tribute that is reserved for the most distinguished government and military leaders – a true testament to her legacy.

Malaysia has many prominent women role models whose work is ground-breaking. In the judicial realm, Malaysia currently has a total of eight female judges on the Federal Court – more than half – including the president of the Court of Appeal. In addition, Malaysia experienced a breakthrough in gender equality with the appointment of the first female Chief Justice, Tun Tengku Maimun, in 2019.

As a female ambassador, I understand the importance of role models. I owe much of my success to strong mentors and role models, both male and female.  There have been many courageous female diplomats who came before me and who paved the way for those of us in the profession today.

Many of the most significant and meaningful moments during my time as U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia over the past three years have been working on issues that affect women and girls, and I am proud of all that our Embassy team has been able to accomplish. At the U.S. Embassy, we work to support the Malaysian government's goals of improving the quality of life for women through education, business workshops and entrepreneurial training, and networking opportunities to promote gender equality and safety.

On Women's Equality Day in August, I announced that the U.S. Embassy has launched a year-long "Wanita Empowered" campaign to support Malaysian women through capacity-building programs and awareness raising campaigns, providing them access to further education and skills, and tools to achieve economic equality. As we celebrate Justice Ginsburg's legacy and reflect on her life and her work, I know that this initiative would make her proud. In the spirit of RBG, I invite you all to think about the role models in your life, and how you can be a role model to others. As Justice Ginsburg said so eloquently, "fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."

(Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir is the United States Ambassador to Malaysia.)