‘We Cannot Avert Our Gaze’: A Message From Ms. on Inauguration Day and MLK Day

Today is a day of stark contrasts. On one hand, it marks the inauguration of Donald Trump, a moment that may stir despair and fear for many who value equality, justice, and progress.

Yet, today is also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—a beacon of hope that reminds us our nation’s true destination is one of change, equality, and unrelenting progress toward justice.

This moment requires us to hold steadfast in our values. To remember that setbacks are not defeats but opportunities to strategize and push forward.

‘A Citizen’s Guide to Menopause Advocacy’: A New Digital Booklet Mobilizing Menopausal Masses

Over the past two years, menopause has become wildly popular in the public discourse.

A team of experts launched a digital booklet, A Citizen’s Guide to Menopause Advocacy. Ms. Magazine’s Jennifer Weiss-Wolf and Dr. Mary Claire Haver, author of the NYT #1 bestseller The New Menopause, are joined by award-winning journalist and women’s health champion Maria Shriver in creating this timely and action-oriented roadmap.

Over the next two years, these may well be among the ideas that can transcend political gridlock.

Carolyn Maloney and Eleanor Smeal Applaud President Biden’s ERA Statement

On Friday, President Biden issued a strong statement declaring that the Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified and is the law of the land, having met both requirements of Article V with the vote of two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures.

“The ERA would etch equal rights into the Constitution—to protect and expand our opportunities, choices and rights,” said Carolyn Maloney, president of New York State NOW and former member of Congress.

“There is nothing in the president’s statement that prevents the Congress from also affirming the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, as they did with the 27th Amendment,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority.

What We Save, What We Lose: A Letter from Ms. Amid the Fires

Many of you have reached out to us, asking how the Ms. office and our staff are faring through the hellish Los Angeles fires. Thank you. I’m relieved to report that so far, none of us have lost our homes, though some have been evacuated and await the all-clear that they can return safely.

As we’ve watched the ash drift past our office windows like strange snow, we have been thinking about how many of our Ms. community members have had to gather quickly together what matters most as they prepared to leave their homes—photo albums, children’s drawings, medical records. Those precious fragments that make up a life. Each with their own story, their own particular moment of leaving. Taking one last look, wondering what would remain when they returned.

Women’s lives are made up of these crucial moments—the things we save, the things we lose, the way we hold each other up afterward.

Ms. Magazine’s Top Feminists of 2024

From top athletes, to community activists, to badass lawmakers, here are our 25 picks for the top U.S. feminists of 2024, and two of the best things they did or said.

Featuring: Kamala Harris, the 27 women who sued the state of Texas for its abortion ban in Zurawski v. Texas, Sarah McBride, abortion providers and funders, Black women voters, Jasmine Crockett, South Carolina’s “Sister Senators” and more.

In the Ms. Winter Issue, We’re Rolling Up Our Sleeves

Now what? That’s what feminists have been wondering since we lost the bright promise of a Kamala Harris presidency on Nov. 5.

We asked Ms. contributing editor Carrie Baker to point the way. For the upcoming issue, she spoke to some of the many leaders and organizations preparing to safeguard decades of hard-fought gains for women and girls, now threatened by the Trump administration and its Project 2025. What she uncovered is a fierce resistance ready to defend our rights at the federal level—and creatively expand equality protections in the states.

All this and so much more awaits you in the Ms. Winter 2025 issue. And, for a limited time, you can get a year of Ms. for just $20—a 43 percent discount from our usual price!

Rest in Power: Lilly Ledbetter, Trailblazing Icon for Women’s Equal Pay

Lilly Ledbetter, an equal pay activist whose legal fight against her employer led to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, died this weekend. She was 86. 

“One of the next steps in reaching pay equity is the Paycheck Fairness Act—a bill that would amend the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to give workers stronger enforcement tools and remedies to help close the pay gap between men and women once and for all,” wrote Ledbetter in an op-ed for Ms. in January. “But things have been frustratingly stagnant in Congress.”

Fall 2024 Issue Sneak Peek: Women Are Voting Like Their Lives Depend on it

Every four years the fall issue of Ms. is—to be perfectly honest—pretty much the same. We do our best to explain what’s at stake in the upcoming election and how the outcome will affect our lives and future. This year that wasn’t necessary. Project 2025 did the job for us.

The list on our Fall cover is just the beginning. What else does Project 2025 have in the crosshairs? Ms. contributor Carrie N. Baker read the “misogynist manifesto” front to back so you don’t have to.

Join the Ms. community today for our special election-year price of $20.24 and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox! When you become a member, you’re supporting independent, feminist media—and becoming part of a global community of feminists who care about the issues that matter to you.