New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously voted to grant the Stonewall Inn, the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots that sparked the modern LGBTQ rights movement, city landmark status Tuesday. This is the first time the city has primarily recognized a landmark for its contribution to LGBTQ history. Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a […]
Sally Ride, First American Woman In Space, Did More Than Fly
On June 18, 1983, 32 years ago Thursday, Sally Ride climbed into the cockpit of the space shuttle Challenger to become the first American woman in space. Ride spent six days in orbit, deploying satellites and operating a robotic arm, and returned to earth a feminist hero. “I don’t think I appreciated how much of […]
Actor and Feminist Jayne Meadows Dies at 95
Actor Jayne Meadows, who performed in Broadway, television and film productions from the 1940s on, died Sunday of natural causes at her Encino, California home. She was 95. Meadows was an ardent feminist who portrayed women in many empowered roles. When her husband, the original Tonight Show host, Steve Allen, launched a PBS series in 1977 entitled Meeting […]
Cristeta Comerford: The White House’s First Woman Executive Chef
This March, for Women’s History Month, the Ms. Blog is profiling Wonder Women who have made history—and those who are making history right now. Join us each day as we bring you the stories of iconic and soon-to-be-famous feminist change-makers. By now it’s no secret that professional kitchens are overflowing with machismo. From the vivid scenes described […]
Top 10 Women’s Rights Victories of the Year
Hailed by many as a “watershed” year for feminism, 2014 offered women and women-identified individuals a year full of firsts, renewing the vigor in the ongoing fight for women’s empowerment. To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8, we look back at the top 10 women’s rights victories of 2014: 1. For the first time in U.S. […]
The History of the Pill, and the Man Who Co-created It
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. […]
