Author: Marianne Schnall

Marianne Schnall is a widely published journalist, author and interviewer whose work has appeared in CNN, Huffington Post, Time.com, O, The Oprah Magazine, Glamour, Women's Media Center, and many other media outlets. She is a regular contributor to ForbesWomen and the author of What Will It Take to Make a Woman President?, Leading the Way, and Dare to Be You. She is also the founder of Feminist.com and What Will It Take Movements and the host of the podcast ShiftMakers. Her wide-ranging interviews with global leaders span fields as diverse as entertainment, politics, business, spirituality, and environmental and social activism. You can read more of her work here and follow her on Instagram @MarianneSchnall.

‘This Is About Life or Death’: Leading Feminists Discuss Women’s Rights in Post-Roe America

Clara Bingham, Jamia Wilson and Jessica Valenti on the state of abortion access and the feminist resistance rising up in every state in the U.S.:

“The 14th Amendment is what antiabortion activists are using right now to fight for fetal personhood. Anytime you see the 14th Amendment mentioned, that’s what it’s about.”

“We are no longer first-class citizens in banned states.”

“There are countries in this world where the pro-life movement is the movement that is about choice. … They’re surprised when they hear the framing of pro-life being used to dominate and control women’s bodies.”

“As terrible as things are every single day, in every single community and in every single state, there are rooms full of women, and there are rooms full of activists who are working their asses off, who are using their time, their money, their energy to make sure that if someone needs care, they can get it, whether or not we see it.”

‘We Have to Have Hope and We Have to Fight Hard’: The Ms. Q&A With Trailblazing Former Rep. Barbara Lee

This Women’s History Month, as we honor the many women who have helped shape this country throughout the years, I had the opportunity to speak with one such history maker, former longtime U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).

As the first Black woman elected to the State Assembly, State Senate and Congress from Northern California and the highest ranking Black woman appointed to Democratic Leadership, Lee has had a trailblazing nearly three-decade political career.

“There are plenty of things you can do now, and I have found that lifts people’s spirits. They see that they can do something, and it keeps people engaged. Because that’s how democracy’s supposed to work. You’re not going to let a dictator take over, but they will take over, this will be an authoritarian government, which it’s close to being, if in fact we don’t do something,” said Lee.

Trans Activist Raquel Willis Offers Thoughts on Organizing, Strength and Hope in this Moment

Within the first three weeks of Donald Trump’s second term, he has signed a devastating and chaotic wave of executive orders that undo a wide variety of laws and protections impacting vulnerable Americans.

With so many rights and freedoms at stake, I reached out to trailblazing transgender activist Raquel Willis to get her perspective on what we are facing under this administration and how we can support the trans community.  

“We’re not starting from zero.” The fight for trans rights continues—and so does the resistance.

How Care Became a Key Issue This Election

In response to voters’ needs and demands, the issue of care has been receiving outsized attention during this year’s election season. 

“If there’s no one to work because there’s no one to care, then we have a problem,” said Ai-jen Poo, founder of Caring Across Generations.

“If the lack of affordable and accessible childcare is what’s holding women back from reaching their economic potential, then we should make childcare affordable and accessible,” said Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First. “As we head into the final weeks of the election, one thing is clear: The conversation has shifted. Childcare has finally been elevated into the national conversation.”

Kamala Harris and the Political Power of Black Women: The Ms. Q&A with Kimberly Peeler-Allen

As we stand poised to potentially elect our first female president who is also a woman of color, we know this moment builds on a long history of other women and Black women trailblazers who have helped to pave the way.

Kimberly Peeler-Allen is the co-founder of Higher Heights, the nation’s leading organization dedicated to building Black women’s collective political power from the voting booth to elected office. Higher Heights has helped drive the national narrative about the power of Black women voters and has inspired countless Black women to step into their power whether as voters, activists or elected leaders. We discussed what it would mean to elect our first woman president who is multi-racial, why it is important to elevate Black women’s leadership, what issues are mobilizing Black women in this election, what biases and barriers women candidates face, the significance of the ERA on the ballot in New York and more.

Addressing the Sexism and Racism Aimed at Kamala Harris, Transcending Leadership Stereotypes and More: The Ms. Q&A with Anita Hill

I first interviewed Anita Hill over 10 years ago for my book What Will It Take to Make a Woman President?: Conversations About Women, Leadership and Power, where we discussed the various factors involved in why the U.S. had not yet elected a woman president and what could be done to move us closer to this milestone, as well as pave the way for more women leaders.
Now, as the U.S. is poised to possibly elect Kamala Harris as not only its first woman president but its first Black and South Asian woman president, I wanted to talk to Hill again to get her insights on this potentially history-making moment.