Dem
52
Ties
2
GOP
46
Ed. note: We were aware of Gloria Steinem's passing, of course, but neither (V) nor (Z) felt particularly qualified to write it up. So, (L) took it on, and here is that item...
Feminist icon Gloria Steinem died last week at the age of 92. By all accounts, she continued working on causes to support women well into the last year of her life. She died in her New York apartment where she has lived for decades, with friends and family around her. She and the women she worked with advanced women's rights in countless ways and wove them into the fabric of all aspects of society such that it's hard to imagine that those rights were once unavailable to us (though some right-wing groups are trying hard to remind us). This sure seems like winning at the game of life. Perhaps that's why the news of her death didn't prompt an outpouring of grief so much as one of gratitude; a recognition of all she gave us and admiration for everything she and her sisters were able to achieve in the face of such great odds and fierce opposition.
Steinem would also be the first to say that the work is not over and, indeed, will never be over. What is remarkable about her is that she never expected to bask in the gains of the women's movement or bemoan the inevitable backlash that follows any group's progress toward equality. She understood that democracy is messy and those in power won't give up that power easily. Even with the atrocities of the Trump presidency, she spoke in terms of hope and the power and importance of that emotion. She called hope and dreaming "a form of planning." No matter how the country regressed and reversed some of feminism's hard-fought achievements, most obviously national reproductive rights won under Roe v. Wade, she kept going and saw opportunities in those setbacks. She continued to use her platform as Donald Trump rose to power and invited people disgusted by what they saw to join her and become activists.
In the 1970s, she was often known as the face of the women's movement, mostly because she was thrust into that role as an attractive white woman who was palatable to the male establishment. But she embraced that role because she felt that, as a white woman, she had a privilege that she was obligated to use. And she used it to raise the voices of the marginalized, especially women of color and the LGBTQ community, who were often left out of the conversation. She credited the many Black women who mentored and inspired her and who were pioneers of the movement, including Shirley Chisholm and Dorothy Pitman Hughes.
Steinem was also very good on TV, which is something of a must for a successful activist these days. Smart, confident, articulate and quick-witted, she was not intimidated by any of the so-called powerful figures of the day who were determined to knock her down a peg. Her witticisms are legendary: "A pedestal is just as confining as any other small space." "We have to become the men we were supposed to marry." "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle" (though apparently that one was actually coined by someone else). And of course, "The truth will set you free. But first it will piss you off."
Steinem often reminded her compatriots that feminism champions equality for both men and women. When women are freed from their traditional roles, so are men. Equality opens up opportunities for everyone. She wanted men to be allies, not enemies, because they also stood to gain from the fight. She was, above all, inclusive and curious about other people. Her New York apartment was apparently a gathering place for people of all ages, races, creeds, along with activists who just needed a place to crash. She invited them all in because ideas are power and conversation sparks action and progress.
Steinem began her career as a journalist and was a prolific writer throughout her life. In her last essay, she mused at how "feminism" has become such a charged word. "Whatever the name, words that stand for equality are demonized by those who benefit from inequality." Hmm, DEI anyone? She goes on, "Opposition will always come from people whose power rests on the group they were born into—whether that is sex, race, class, or ethnicity—rather than on what they do as individuals. This persists because they believe in hierarchy and they fear what might happen if they have no built-in advantage." One can certainly add sexual orientation and gender identity to that list. And we are seeing some extreme manifestations of that opposition now. Steinem wrote that she saw her role, as someone who has lived such a long life, to remind people how far we've come. But it seems to us that her life-long activism also reminds us that democracy is not a one-person job. It takes all of us doing what we can. Even if that action is simply insisting on exercising our fundamental right to vote no matter how many obstacles are put in our way.
R.I.P. Ms. Steinem, we'll take it from here. (L)