Carl Djerassi, the doctor who synthesized a key hormone in the birth control pill, died Friday at his San Francisco home. He was 91 and suffered from complications with liver and bone cancer. Ms. celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Pill in our Spring 2010 issue. Take a look at the piece below and learn all […]
Diversity Wins Big at SAG Awards
In the wake of #OscarsSoWhite and Ava DuVernay’s Academy Awards snub, there was a bit of good news for women of color in Hollywood Sunday night. At the annual Screen Actors Guild Awards, not one but two African American women actors snagged SAG awards for their leading roles. Viola Davis won Outstanding Performance by a […]
Malala Yousafzai Honored with Liberty Medal
Malala Yousafzai, the 16-year-old Pakistani women’s rights activist who survived a Taliban assassination attempt, can now add the National Constitution Center‘s Liberty Medal to her growing list of awards. Established by Congress to raise awareness and understanding of the U.S. Constitution, the National Constitution Center annually awards the Liberty Medal to those who “strive to […]
Happy Birthday, Equal Pay Act!
Even those with the most basic idea of feminism—even those who insist they are not feminists—still subscribe to the notion that women should receive equal pay for equal work. Back on June 10, 1963, that notion became law, as President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act, which prohibited employers from paying employees of […]
Grace Garcia, Texas Political Leader, Dies at 59
Grace Garcia, a powerful supporter of women political candidates, died Monday in a car crash outside Dallas at age 59. Garcia was instrumental in founding the National Latina Political Action Committee (PODER PAC) and advocated for abortion rights as executive director of Annie’s List, an organization that supports pro-choice, Democratic women candidates for state office in Texas. […]
“I Wanna Be Just Like Yuri Kochiyama”
No activist is an island. In fact, solidarity between communities in parallel pursuit of justice has always formed the heart of effective intersectional advocacy. If anyone embodied this relentless pursuit of human rights solidarity, it was activist Yuri Kochiyama, 93, who died in her sleep Sunday in her Berkeley, Calif., home. Kochiyama’s life was a […]
What Gloria Steinem Means to Me
Gloria Steinem, co-founding editor of Ms., turns 80 today. In honor of her birthday, we asked friends and colleagues of hers to answer this question: “What does Gloria mean to you?” Below, read touching stories of Gloria’s life and legacy from those who have loved, admired and learned from her over the last eight decades. Happy […]
Paid Leave: All in the FAMILY
Since 21 years ago today, when the Family and Medical Leave Act—providing workers unpaid, job-protected leaves to deal with personal or family illness or a new child—was signed by President Bill Clinton, there’s been little further action in Congress. That changed recently with the introduction of the Family Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act by Sen. […]
Are You in a Jane Austen Mood Today?
Our dear British novelist Jane Austen would have turned 238 today, had she not died at the untimely age of 41 due to (pick your retrospective diagnosis) Addison’s disease, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, bovine tuberculosis or Brill-Zinsser disease. We’ve celebrated the unforgettable Jane a number of times on the Ms. Blog. When you’re not busy reading one […]
Nelson Mandela and Women’s Rights
South Africa’s monumental leader in the struggle against apartheid, Nelson Mandela, died today at age 95. Not only did he fight against the oppression of black Africans, but he supported the rights of women. Under his one-term presidency in the 1990s, South Africa signed and ratified the CEDAW treaty—something the U.S. has yet to do. […]
