Several vigils aimed at honoring Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg are planned for cities around Maine on Sunday, including Portland, Bangor and Bar Harbor.

Ginsburg died Friday at the age 87 after 27 years on the court, and was seen by many as its strongest voice and a feminist icon. On Saturday there were hundreds of displays of mourning for Ginsburg around the country, including at the Supreme Court, her Brooklyn, New York, high school and many courthouses.

A vigil is planned for 7 p.m. Sunday in Portland’s Monument Square, hosted by the activist groups Mainers for Accountable Leadership and We Are Maine. The event had been scheduled for Saturday but was moved to Sunday so that members of the Jewish community celebrating Rosh Hashanah this weekend could attend the vigil, according to the event posting on Facebook. Organizers ask that people wear masks, follow social distancing and bring hand sanitizer.

A group of individuals have organized a vigil at the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Bangor at 7 p.m. Sunday. Aubrae Filipiak, one of the organizers, said she wanted to help plan the vigil because she’s “devastated by the loss of Justice Ginsburg and what it might mean for our democracy and our future.” She said she hoped the event would be a chance for people to mourn, to honor, to remember and “to draw strength from one another as we prepare for what comes next.” Signs and candles are welcome, and people are asked to wear masks and observe social distancing.

In Bar Harbor, a vigil is planned for 8 p.m. Sunday on the Village Green, hosted by the activist group Indivisible MDI (Mount Desert Island.) On Facebook, organizers ask that people attending bring candles in mason jars, or other glass containers, to line the sidewalks of the green. People can also bring candles to hold, and are asked to wear masks and observe social distancing.

“RBG was a fierce champion of justice and equality on the Supreme Court. We owe her an enormous debt of gratitude, and we must fight hard to uphold the ideals of equality and justice to which she dedicated her life,” organizers of the Bar Harbor event wrote on Facebook.


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