March 5, 2020 • 20 mins
Sandra Day O’Connor holds a place in history as the first woman to sit on the US Supreme Court. But the retired Justice has another great achievement as her legacy: the creation of iCivics, a series of digital games that teach how democracy works—and that have reached more than 5 million American school children. iCivics Executive Director Louise Dubé joins Kim Azzarelli to discuss Justice O’Connor’s impact, why we need civic engagement more than ever today, and the beauty of living a life filled with purpose. And hear in Justice O’Connor’s own words why the next generation’s civic participation is critical to a healthy democracy.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
Hi. This is Milan Ververe and this is Kim Azarelli.
We are co authors of the book Fast Forward, How
Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose. And you're listening to
Seneca Women Conversations on Power and Purpose, brought to you
by the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
(00:37):
I was the first woman chosen to be a justice
on the United States Supreme Court. It took a hundred
and ninety one years for that to happen from the
start of our effective constitution. That's a long time to wait,
but thank goodness, the barrier was broken and a very
(00:58):
great honor. But it was quite a responsibility because if
I didn't do the job well enough, it might take
more about a hundred and ninety one years to get
the next woman on the Court. Welcome to Seneca Women
Conversations on Power and Purpose. I'm Kim Azarelli and we
just heard audio from the incredible Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
(01:22):
Justice O'Connor is so important to me for so many reasons.
She has been an incredible inspiration for so many women
in the law and for me personally. She was really
instrumental in helping me with a center for women in
Justice at Cornell. Of course, she was the first woman
on the Supreme Court. She had an incredible legal career
at a time when few women did, and she forever
(01:42):
carries this legacy, and she carries it so well. But
now all that to say that Justice O'Connor considers one
of her greatest legacies the invention of a video game.
So joining me today is executive director of is Civics,
Louise Dubai. Welcome, Louise Kim. It's great to be here.
Thank you for me. So let me start with a
very basic question. What is isibics. Isidics is the largest
(02:08):
civic education site in the country. We teach students all
the way from fourth grade to twelfth grade about how
our government works. So what we do. Primarily we are
known for our games. We have twenty games in which
students can play and either win or lose. And all
the games are around some principles of our constitution. Is
(02:28):
the judiciary, for example, or um our electional system, or
the presidency or so on and so forth. Why are
the games so captivating and what do they do? The
games essentially replicate the way that our government works in
a way that you couldn't do in the classroom without them.
So kids usually work together on a game. They range
(02:52):
from running your own election to being the president of
the United States, so all uh different kinds of processes
that may seem really foreign to students, but actually when
you put them in the center of that process, it
actually starts to take on a meeting. Do you also
learn about civic discourse and how to have positive conversations
(03:15):
because we're living in this world which where politics can
become so divisive, and so I think this tool that
you have a civics is a powerful way to teach
bridge building and compromise. How does that work? So the
game is is uh an experience. Uh it's enjoyable and
you'll learn a lot of skills, but the beauty is
in managing a conversation after with the students. So a
(03:37):
lot of issues get talked about in the game. The
students will talk about those issues, and they will be
talking about things that happen in the real world, and
they will bring in these controversial issues. And so that
process of coming to understand how somebody else another students
thinks a different way very important. And so obviously we're
(03:57):
in the beginning of a big, big election year. So
what is ISIFICS doing this year? In particular, we've come
out with a brand new win the White House. It
is in Spanish now. Uh, the influence of Justice Sono Mayora,
who is now on our board, and the Justice really
wanted us to make a commitment to say that all
students need to have access to this information. It is
(04:21):
has a whole new set of issues. Issues have been
reviewed by a bipartisan panel of experts and so that
we can ensure balance and by partsanship in the way
we present the issues. We have also come out with
a whole new game, revised Cast Your Vote Now. It
has a whole story about a mayoral election and what
(04:42):
the process is that a citizen of our country should
go to select a candidate. Uh. We're really really excited
about all of the materials that we have for the
election this year. I remember when I had first heard
about is Civics. I was trying to put it all
together and I asked Justice O'Connor, well, why a video game?
And I remember her clearly saying that they had they
(05:04):
had hosted an entire summit around civic participation and how
she could after stepping down from the Supreme Court, continued
to support our democracy in ways that she felt was meaningful.
And at the end of sort of all these very
influential folks coming together, they realized that what really needed
to happen was kids need to understand the basics of
civic participation. And what better way to reach them, she said,
(05:27):
was to meet them where they were, which was in
front of video games. And so this idea that you know,
an eighty something year old retired Supreme Court justice would
spend her post court years designing video games for me
was unbelievable, and I very much remember the day that
I went with her actually when she chaired the Games
for Change conference in the Village in New York City.
(05:49):
You know, so you have this incredible, you know, icon
Supreme Court justice showing up to this kind of video
game conference, UM, and it was powerful. I wanted to
teach young poth in America how they can be part
of the governmental structure and help decide what problems to
tackle and how to solve them. And so I started
(06:12):
this network of UM, the idea of for me in
every state, an isivics program to teach young people UH
the concept of being involved in helping government reach decisions
and how to be involved how to make that happen
(06:33):
was my effort and the schools are using it. We
teach primarily by having games on there that young people play,
and in the process they learn what we're hoping to
have them learn, which is how to be a citizen
who makes things happen. And it's been very successful. It's working,
(06:54):
and she wanted it to reach all fifty states ultimately,
and I know you've been working hard at that. How
many states are you in now? All fifty states? And
asking me that originally and then uh, we are now
we look like a map of education system in America.
We are overly represented in low income schools, Title one
schools and in rural districts that don't have access to
(07:16):
other forms of simulations, which has been proven to help
students understand how our systems work better. So do you
find that children are excited about learning about civics or
is it a chore that you then convert them to
be excited about? Oh? I think now, particularly now in
the last a few years where current events is uh
(07:39):
all over UH, there's an incredible interest in demand on
the part of UM of teachers and students, and it
is really framed around these current events and they're trying
to understand how it works. The point is that it
is now relevant to the students lives, and that is
how you get students excited. They have to understand why
(08:00):
this matters. I mean, there's never really been a moment
in history, I would think where you have current events
so infused in the daily life of children. Um, I
think perhaps I Civics is even more important than ever
for them to make sense of the world around them
and what's going on. Absolutely, we need to make sure
that young people are trained and understand how it works,
and that we have a process, and then they can
(08:23):
take it up only if we as adults take up
our responsibility to teach them and to prepare them for
a civic engagement. I recall when Justice O'Connor first told
me about this, and when I first learned about IS
Civics back in two thousand and nine. She had said
that she was dismayed that children could name all of
(08:44):
the judges on American IDOL but could not name the
justices on the Supreme Court, and that civic education really
just understanding the three branches of government was not something
that was required anymore. Can you tell us about the
state of civic education in this country. What's happened is
that over decades, during the common Core era, where we
(09:06):
focus on basic literacy UH in math and language, we've
seen a decrease in social studies and the time allocated
in the classroom. And in an era of accountability, when
there's very little accountability for social studies, civics and social
studies have been UH put to the wayside. What's at risk?
(09:28):
Why does this matter? A couple of things. UH. One
is that the situation is now so bleak that our
students are proficient only about twenty three. What is important
is for students to know how to solve problems for
our country. They have to actually understand how it works.
They have to have the skills to be able to participates.
(09:50):
They have to have the disposition to agree to disagree
or define compromise, and then they have to be motivated
for service. We need to teach young people that they're
going to grow up and be in charge. They're going
to be making these decisions as adults in what we
do as a nation. What we do is the city.
(10:11):
What we do as a county. They are going to
be doing that, and you have to learn how to
be involved and what works and what doesn't work, and
get them interested as youngsters. They'll follow up as adults.
So I want to go back to what life was
like for you with Justice O'Connor. So she wrote it
(10:32):
not bed in the Wall Street Journal into fifteen, where
she says, civic education cannot be an afterthought. Citizenship is
a skill that must be taught over time, with the
same devotion we give to reading math in the pursuit
of scientific knowledge. We believe that it should be taught
alongside and integrated with these subjects. So for our listeners,
can you describe her passion for civics. Oh, it had
(10:54):
knew no bounds. Um, the devotion that she had to
service to our country. That's where it comes from, right,
this idea that you must be of service, you must
help make things better, that is all for a purpose.
And that purpose was really this idea that you could
advance this country by get being of service. If you
(11:17):
came into this with that mentality, you would get more done.
And I do think that that is what she was
trying to convey to our students. In our country, this
idea of balance, this idea of compromise, and this idea
of purpose beyond yourself enough service. So Justice O'Connor was
devoted to that idea and and that is the legacy
(11:37):
we try to fulfill every day. You also have another
personal connection with women. Judges tell us about your mom.
My mother was the second woman on the Supreme Court
of Canada, and I felt, and I've continued to feel,
I have an obligation to serve those women and uh
to pay back what they've done for us. It people
(11:58):
often do not understand the level of sacrifice that that
has meant. None of them speak about the personal sacrifice
that it took. And I think we have to recognize
that there is a legacy and that we have to
celebrate our forebears so true, they broke so many bearers
for women, and we really have to celebrate that the
(12:20):
United States has taken great strides in opening opportunities and
doors for women. And it, of course is my hope
that the same thing is happening in every nation around
the world. It is and has in many nations already,
and on others it's been a little slower to come,
(12:42):
but over time, I think we can expect every nation
to welcome working women and women in all fields of endeavor.
It's very important that we do that. After all, about
half the population happened to be mail, so we need
to take care of that half too, don't we. Well, Louise,
(13:07):
in two thousand and fifteen, you and I had the
chance to sort of, I feel, be part of witnessing
history in some way, and we came together to pay
tribute to Justice O'Connor and really the legacy of O'Connor.
But a big emphasis that day was on a civics
and really what that legacy could look like, uh, for
children and for our future Americans. But what was amazing
(13:29):
to me was to see all four women who had
sat on the Supreme Court come together, which they very
rarely do, to really pay tribute to this incredible woman's life.
So for me, it was really an inspiring moment. The
fact that they were willing to take time and be
with us for so long. Uh, it really speaks to
(13:50):
how much Justice O'Connor inspired each one of them. It
was such a special day, and really, like you say,
this is a moment in history, it's a this idea
which I think is one that you have a personal
connection to, but that women inspire other women. Uh and
that we owe women pay forward, as you say, was
(14:11):
in display in that day. It was amazing to see
Justice Ginsburg represent uh and and and that's how it
was presented to us that she would be representing um
the ideas of both the justice side Mayor and Justice
Kagan Um. And when she took the podium, you know,
obviously there was just complete stillness in the room to
(14:33):
see her go up there and pay such a heartfelt
tribute to Justice O'Connor. But the relationship between the women
on the Supreme Court was in full display that day,
and I just get goose bumps just thinking about it.
And that connection is kind of the fundamental base on
which we all sort of stand and for women in
the law, it was a resounding site and something I
probably won't forget. I think what was great about that
(14:56):
event is both the focus on her early year, the
focus of her legal career, and then the focus after
in the through line, And that through line was about service,
and that through line was about connections and when women
helping each other and all of that came together, and
I would only hope that young girls would would find
(15:16):
a message for them in that story of how your
own personal experience connects to your own work, but also
to that purpose that's beyond you. I think that's what
gives meaning to a life. And certainly Justice O'Connor has
a beautiful life and a beautiful legacy as a result.
And isaetics is really the embodiment of that. Well, that
(15:38):
to me really summarizes Justice O'Connor. And the level of
service that she wanted to devote her life too was
pretty remarkable. And I guess it was somewhat recently that
she decided to go public with the fact that she
had developed dementia, possibly Alzheimer's, And I found that such
a beautiful and so Justice O'Connor thing to do. Right,
she takes her platform and even in that hardest moment
(16:00):
um where most people would want to retreat, she comes
forward and uses, you know, her own illness as service
to the country and to put a spotlight on what's
going on. And it's just to me so profound and
just so totally in line with who she is. To
her core, everything about her is about service. So I
think that's incredible. Yeah, And and I think it speaks
(16:21):
a little bit to that generation of women and the
fact that they are always striving to do more because
that's what it took to get to where they went. Uh.
And I found that with just As O'Connor also same idea, Louise,
how can we do more? How can we get more kids?
How could we touch every single student in the country.
(16:42):
And we know that just O'Connor is not afraid of
hard work, but there was something different about the kind
of just do more, to do more that we see
in today's world. I feel like they are instilled with
something different. Um And obviously is Civics is the incredible
testament to that. So tell our listeners what we can
do to better support is civics. Is civics is a
completely free platform and we serve million millions of students. Obviously, Uh,
(17:07):
what we need we need financial support and that is
very important. If you care about our democracy and the
health and an investment in generation after generation, please go
to is civics dot org and help us out. And
whether you're an individual who wants to make you know,
a small contribution, every contribution counts, or whether you're an
organization that wants to bring your company or your foundation
(17:29):
to partner with is civics. Please do reach out and
you can go to a civics dot org or you
can come to us at senec women dot com and
we'll be happy to introduce you to Louise. Thank you, Louise,
Thank you so much. Kim. I hope that is civics
will be a standard part of the education program for
young people in all fifty states. It's so effective and
(17:52):
it matters because what works on is teaching young people
how they can be in charge of what they're going
to learn about it and they can help make it effective.
And so there couldn't be anything that we care more
about than educating our young people. Stay tuned for our
(18:14):
takeaways after this break. I hope you enjoyed that conversation
with Louise Dubai and it is always so incredible to
hear the voice of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. For more
information about is civics, visit is civics dot org. My
(18:36):
top takeaways. First, as Justice O'Connor reminds us, civic participation
is more important than ever and it starts with young
people teaching children about civic discourse and how to have
positive conversations sets up the next generation with the tools
they need to succeed. Second, Justice O'Connor's life reminds us
(18:57):
of the power of being first. As the first woman
on the U. S. Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor broke barriers
for women in the law, for women in the judiciary,
and frankly, for women around the world. Lastly, Justice O'Connor
is an incredible example of using your power for purpose.
Her impact extends well beyond the law, across boundaries and generations,
(19:20):
as is evidenced by is Civics for us at Seneca Women,
Justice O'Connor is a beautiful, powerful example of living a
life of service and purpose. You're listening to Seneca Women
Conversations on Power and Purpose, brought to you by the
Seneca Women podcast Network and I Heart Radio with support
(19:41):
from founding partner PNG. Listen to Seneca Women Conversations on
Power and Purpose on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts, and please support this
podcast by telling your friends, subscribing and rating us. For
more information on Seneca Women, follow us on social media,
visit our website Seneca Women dot com, and check out
(20:03):
the Seneca Women app free in the app Store. Have
a great day, M
Hi. This is Milan Ververe and this is Kim Azarelli.
We are co authors of the book Fast Forward, How
Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose. And you're listening to
Seneca Women Conversations on Power and Purpose, brought to you
by the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
(00:37):
I was the first woman chosen to be a justice
on the United States Supreme Court. It took a hundred
and ninety one years for that to happen from the
start of our effective constitution. That's a long time to wait,
but thank goodness, the barrier was broken and a very
(00:58):
great honor. But it was quite a responsibility because if
I didn't do the job well enough, it might take
more about a hundred and ninety one years to get
the next woman on the Court. Welcome to Seneca Women
Conversations on Power and Purpose. I'm Kim Azarelli and we
just heard audio from the incredible Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
(01:22):
Justice O'Connor is so important to me for so many reasons.
She has been an incredible inspiration for so many women
in the law and for me personally. She was really
instrumental in helping me with a center for women in
Justice at Cornell. Of course, she was the first woman
on the Supreme Court. She had an incredible legal career
at a time when few women did, and she forever
(01:42):
carries this legacy, and she carries it so well. But
now all that to say that Justice O'Connor considers one
of her greatest legacies the invention of a video game.
So joining me today is executive director of is Civics,
Louise Dubai. Welcome, Louise Kim. It's great to be here.
Thank you for me. So let me start with a
very basic question. What is isibics. Isidics is the largest
(02:08):
civic education site in the country. We teach students all
the way from fourth grade to twelfth grade about how
our government works. So what we do. Primarily we are
known for our games. We have twenty games in which
students can play and either win or lose. And all
the games are around some principles of our constitution. Is
(02:28):
the judiciary, for example, or um our electional system, or
the presidency or so on and so forth. Why are
the games so captivating and what do they do? The
games essentially replicate the way that our government works in
a way that you couldn't do in the classroom without them.
So kids usually work together on a game. They range
(02:52):
from running your own election to being the president of
the United States, so all uh different kinds of processes
that may seem really foreign to students, but actually when
you put them in the center of that process, it
actually starts to take on a meeting. Do you also
learn about civic discourse and how to have positive conversations
(03:15):
because we're living in this world which where politics can
become so divisive, and so I think this tool that
you have a civics is a powerful way to teach
bridge building and compromise. How does that work? So the
game is is uh an experience. Uh it's enjoyable and
you'll learn a lot of skills, but the beauty is
in managing a conversation after with the students. So a
(03:37):
lot of issues get talked about in the game. The
students will talk about those issues, and they will be
talking about things that happen in the real world, and
they will bring in these controversial issues. And so that
process of coming to understand how somebody else another students
thinks a different way very important. And so obviously we're
(03:57):
in the beginning of a big, big election year. So
what is ISIFICS doing this year? In particular, we've come
out with a brand new win the White House. It
is in Spanish now. Uh, the influence of Justice Sono Mayora,
who is now on our board, and the Justice really
wanted us to make a commitment to say that all
students need to have access to this information. It is
(04:21):
has a whole new set of issues. Issues have been
reviewed by a bipartisan panel of experts and so that
we can ensure balance and by partsanship in the way
we present the issues. We have also come out with
a whole new game, revised Cast Your Vote Now. It
has a whole story about a mayoral election and what
(04:42):
the process is that a citizen of our country should
go to select a candidate. Uh. We're really really excited
about all of the materials that we have for the
election this year. I remember when I had first heard
about is Civics. I was trying to put it all
together and I asked Justice O'Connor, well, why a video game?
And I remember her clearly saying that they had they
(05:04):
had hosted an entire summit around civic participation and how
she could after stepping down from the Supreme Court, continued
to support our democracy in ways that she felt was meaningful.
And at the end of sort of all these very
influential folks coming together, they realized that what really needed
to happen was kids need to understand the basics of
civic participation. And what better way to reach them, she said,
(05:27):
was to meet them where they were, which was in
front of video games. And so this idea that you know,
an eighty something year old retired Supreme Court justice would
spend her post court years designing video games for me
was unbelievable, and I very much remember the day that
I went with her actually when she chaired the Games
for Change conference in the Village in New York City.
(05:49):
You know, so you have this incredible, you know, icon
Supreme Court justice showing up to this kind of video
game conference, UM, and it was powerful. I wanted to
teach young poth in America how they can be part
of the governmental structure and help decide what problems to
tackle and how to solve them. And so I started
(06:12):
this network of UM, the idea of for me in
every state, an isivics program to teach young people UH
the concept of being involved in helping government reach decisions
and how to be involved how to make that happen
(06:33):
was my effort and the schools are using it. We
teach primarily by having games on there that young people play,
and in the process they learn what we're hoping to
have them learn, which is how to be a citizen
who makes things happen. And it's been very successful. It's working,
(06:54):
and she wanted it to reach all fifty states ultimately,
and I know you've been working hard at that. How
many states are you in now? All fifty states? And
asking me that originally and then uh, we are now
we look like a map of education system in America.
We are overly represented in low income schools, Title one
schools and in rural districts that don't have access to
(07:16):
other forms of simulations, which has been proven to help
students understand how our systems work better. So do you
find that children are excited about learning about civics or
is it a chore that you then convert them to
be excited about? Oh? I think now, particularly now in
the last a few years where current events is uh
(07:39):
all over UH, there's an incredible interest in demand on
the part of UM of teachers and students, and it
is really framed around these current events and they're trying
to understand how it works. The point is that it
is now relevant to the students lives, and that is
how you get students excited. They have to understand why
(08:00):
this matters. I mean, there's never really been a moment
in history, I would think where you have current events
so infused in the daily life of children. Um, I
think perhaps I Civics is even more important than ever
for them to make sense of the world around them
and what's going on. Absolutely, we need to make sure
that young people are trained and understand how it works,
and that we have a process, and then they can
(08:23):
take it up only if we as adults take up
our responsibility to teach them and to prepare them for
a civic engagement. I recall when Justice O'Connor first told
me about this, and when I first learned about IS
Civics back in two thousand and nine. She had said
that she was dismayed that children could name all of
(08:44):
the judges on American IDOL but could not name the
justices on the Supreme Court, and that civic education really
just understanding the three branches of government was not something
that was required anymore. Can you tell us about the
state of civic education in this country. What's happened is
that over decades, during the common Core era, where we
(09:06):
focus on basic literacy UH in math and language, we've
seen a decrease in social studies and the time allocated
in the classroom. And in an era of accountability, when
there's very little accountability for social studies, civics and social
studies have been UH put to the wayside. What's at risk?
(09:28):
Why does this matter? A couple of things. UH. One
is that the situation is now so bleak that our
students are proficient only about twenty three. What is important
is for students to know how to solve problems for
our country. They have to actually understand how it works.
They have to have the skills to be able to participates.
(09:50):
They have to have the disposition to agree to disagree
or define compromise, and then they have to be motivated
for service. We need to teach young people that they're
going to grow up and be in charge. They're going
to be making these decisions as adults in what we
do as a nation. What we do is the city.
(10:11):
What we do as a county. They are going to
be doing that, and you have to learn how to
be involved and what works and what doesn't work, and
get them interested as youngsters. They'll follow up as adults.
So I want to go back to what life was
like for you with Justice O'Connor. So she wrote it
(10:32):
not bed in the Wall Street Journal into fifteen, where
she says, civic education cannot be an afterthought. Citizenship is
a skill that must be taught over time, with the
same devotion we give to reading math in the pursuit
of scientific knowledge. We believe that it should be taught
alongside and integrated with these subjects. So for our listeners,
can you describe her passion for civics. Oh, it had
(10:54):
knew no bounds. Um, the devotion that she had to
service to our country. That's where it comes from, right,
this idea that you must be of service, you must
help make things better, that is all for a purpose.
And that purpose was really this idea that you could
advance this country by get being of service. If you
(11:17):
came into this with that mentality, you would get more done.
And I do think that that is what she was
trying to convey to our students. In our country, this
idea of balance, this idea of compromise, and this idea
of purpose beyond yourself enough service. So Justice O'Connor was
devoted to that idea and and that is the legacy
(11:37):
we try to fulfill every day. You also have another
personal connection with women. Judges tell us about your mom.
My mother was the second woman on the Supreme Court
of Canada, and I felt, and I've continued to feel,
I have an obligation to serve those women and uh
to pay back what they've done for us. It people
(11:58):
often do not understand the level of sacrifice that that
has meant. None of them speak about the personal sacrifice
that it took. And I think we have to recognize
that there is a legacy and that we have to
celebrate our forebears so true, they broke so many bearers
for women, and we really have to celebrate that the
(12:20):
United States has taken great strides in opening opportunities and
doors for women. And it, of course is my hope
that the same thing is happening in every nation around
the world. It is and has in many nations already,
and on others it's been a little slower to come,
(12:42):
but over time, I think we can expect every nation
to welcome working women and women in all fields of endeavor.
It's very important that we do that. After all, about
half the population happened to be mail, so we need
to take care of that half too, don't we. Well, Louise,
(13:07):
in two thousand and fifteen, you and I had the
chance to sort of, I feel, be part of witnessing
history in some way, and we came together to pay
tribute to Justice O'Connor and really the legacy of O'Connor.
But a big emphasis that day was on a civics
and really what that legacy could look like, uh, for
children and for our future Americans. But what was amazing
(13:29):
to me was to see all four women who had
sat on the Supreme Court come together, which they very
rarely do, to really pay tribute to this incredible woman's life.
So for me, it was really an inspiring moment. The
fact that they were willing to take time and be
with us for so long. Uh, it really speaks to
(13:50):
how much Justice O'Connor inspired each one of them. It
was such a special day, and really, like you say,
this is a moment in history, it's a this idea
which I think is one that you have a personal
connection to, but that women inspire other women. Uh and
that we owe women pay forward, as you say, was
(14:11):
in display in that day. It was amazing to see
Justice Ginsburg represent uh and and and that's how it
was presented to us that she would be representing um
the ideas of both the justice side Mayor and Justice
Kagan Um. And when she took the podium, you know,
obviously there was just complete stillness in the room to
(14:33):
see her go up there and pay such a heartfelt
tribute to Justice O'Connor. But the relationship between the women
on the Supreme Court was in full display that day,
and I just get goose bumps just thinking about it.
And that connection is kind of the fundamental base on
which we all sort of stand and for women in
the law, it was a resounding site and something I
probably won't forget. I think what was great about that
(14:56):
event is both the focus on her early year, the
focus of her legal career, and then the focus after
in the through line, And that through line was about service,
and that through line was about connections and when women
helping each other and all of that came together, and
I would only hope that young girls would would find
(15:16):
a message for them in that story of how your
own personal experience connects to your own work, but also
to that purpose that's beyond you. I think that's what
gives meaning to a life. And certainly Justice O'Connor has
a beautiful life and a beautiful legacy as a result.
And isaetics is really the embodiment of that. Well, that
(15:38):
to me really summarizes Justice O'Connor. And the level of
service that she wanted to devote her life too was
pretty remarkable. And I guess it was somewhat recently that
she decided to go public with the fact that she
had developed dementia, possibly Alzheimer's, And I found that such
a beautiful and so Justice O'Connor thing to do. Right,
she takes her platform and even in that hardest moment
(16:00):
um where most people would want to retreat, she comes
forward and uses, you know, her own illness as service
to the country and to put a spotlight on what's
going on. And it's just to me so profound and
just so totally in line with who she is. To
her core, everything about her is about service. So I
think that's incredible. Yeah, And and I think it speaks
(16:21):
a little bit to that generation of women and the
fact that they are always striving to do more because
that's what it took to get to where they went. Uh.
And I found that with just As O'Connor also same idea, Louise,
how can we do more? How can we get more kids?
How could we touch every single student in the country.
(16:42):
And we know that just O'Connor is not afraid of
hard work, but there was something different about the kind
of just do more, to do more that we see
in today's world. I feel like they are instilled with
something different. Um And obviously is Civics is the incredible
testament to that. So tell our listeners what we can
do to better support is civics. Is civics is a
completely free platform and we serve million millions of students. Obviously, Uh,
(17:07):
what we need we need financial support and that is
very important. If you care about our democracy and the
health and an investment in generation after generation, please go
to is civics dot org and help us out. And
whether you're an individual who wants to make you know,
a small contribution, every contribution counts, or whether you're an
organization that wants to bring your company or your foundation
(17:29):
to partner with is civics. Please do reach out and
you can go to a civics dot org or you
can come to us at senec women dot com and
we'll be happy to introduce you to Louise. Thank you, Louise,
Thank you so much. Kim. I hope that is civics
will be a standard part of the education program for
young people in all fifty states. It's so effective and
(17:52):
it matters because what works on is teaching young people
how they can be in charge of what they're going
to learn about it and they can help make it effective.
And so there couldn't be anything that we care more
about than educating our young people. Stay tuned for our
(18:14):
takeaways after this break. I hope you enjoyed that conversation
with Louise Dubai and it is always so incredible to
hear the voice of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. For more
information about is civics, visit is civics dot org. My
(18:36):
top takeaways. First, as Justice O'Connor reminds us, civic participation
is more important than ever and it starts with young
people teaching children about civic discourse and how to have
positive conversations sets up the next generation with the tools
they need to succeed. Second, Justice O'Connor's life reminds us
(18:57):
of the power of being first. As the first woman
on the U. S. Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor broke barriers
for women in the law, for women in the judiciary,
and frankly, for women around the world. Lastly, Justice O'Connor
is an incredible example of using your power for purpose.
Her impact extends well beyond the law, across boundaries and generations,
(19:20):
as is evidenced by is Civics for us at Seneca Women,
Justice O'Connor is a beautiful, powerful example of living a
life of service and purpose. You're listening to Seneca Women
Conversations on Power and Purpose, brought to you by the
Seneca Women podcast Network and I Heart Radio with support
(19:41):
from founding partner PNG. Listen to Seneca Women Conversations on
Power and Purpose on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts, and please support this
podcast by telling your friends, subscribing and rating us. For
more information on Seneca Women, follow us on social media,
visit our website Seneca Women dot com, and check out
(20:03):
the Seneca Women app free in the app Store. Have
a great day, M
Popular Podcasts
United States of Kennedy
United States of Kennedy is a podcast about our cultural fascination with the Kennedy dynasty. Every week, hosts Lyra Smith and George Civeris go into one aspect of the Kennedy story.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com