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

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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.

Prepared and Defiant: Ms. Magazine’s Vision for the Feminist Fights Ahead

This moment feels dangerous and daunting. But if history has taught us anything, it’s that we’ve walked this path before. The feminist movement—and Ms.—has learned to endure, to rise even when everything tells us to fall. We carry with us the stories of every inch gained—the right to vote, to earn our own income, to own property, to access education, to live with dignity. Each gain was earned, and every time they tried to bar the door, we found another way through. 

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.

Thought-Provoking, Policy-Changing and Narrative-Shifting: Ms. Magazine’s 10 Most Impactful Print Articles of 2024

Ms. spurred thought-provoking, policy-changing, narrative-shifting change in 2024—and created new feminist strategies and solutions for the year ahead. In a word: “impact.” Ms. commissioned high profile analysis and investigative journalism by some of feminism’s best journalists and thinkers, focusing on key issues impacting women and girls at a critical moment across the globe. Here are the Ms. editors’ top 10 impact articles in the past year, as seen in the print magazine.

(Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get the issues delivered straight to your mailbox.)

2024 in Review: The Ms. Stories That Defined a Year of Feminist Resistance and Resilience

As we take a moment to regroup this holiday season and start to plan for 2025, I’m reflecting on some of the most important stories we covered this year at Ms. We focused on the issues that matter most to women—especially when it came to issues that the mainstream media establishment has often overlooked, but that we’ve been paying attention to for a long time. Here are six of them. 

The Most-Read Stories of 2024

Every day of 2024, Ms. writers and editors set out to create content that empowered, informed and infuriated readers. We sought out the truth, sounded alarms, asked tough questions, mourned feminist losses (and feminists we lost), looked to gender justice advocates abroad, and handed the microphone over to experts. Dear reader: As we enter a new year and a new era of the movement, we promise you more of this.

Explore the 30 most popular articles published this year on MsMagazine.com—the articles feminists most clicked, shared, studied, bookmarked and passed out at marches.

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!

Give the Gift of Ms. Magazine to Women in Prison and Domestic Violence Shelters

We send Ms. to 5,547 federal, state and county prisoners, and hundreds of shelters across the country. That’s a fraction of the total, but it’s a number we’re very proud of and hope to keep growing. Over the 19 years since this program’s birth, we’ve discovered that even this small gesture of recognition, support and information means a lot.

Ubuntu in Action: How Black Giving Circles Redefine Community Support

Black philanthropy has a rich history, exemplified by trailblazers like Madam C.J. Walker. As the first woman to become a self-made millionaire in America, Walker built her fortune by creating a successful line of hair care products for Black women. While she used her wealth to fund anti-lynching campaigns, give scholarships to women and more, her philanthropic journey began long before she amassed her wealth, as giving is deeply rooted in personal experiences and identity. 

Walker is just one of many Black philanthropists who have made significant contributions throughout history. While women like Rihanna and Janelle Monae are widely recognized for their charitable work, most Black philanthropists are working behind the scenes to make a big impact on countless causes in their community. This Black Philanthropy Month, it’s crucial to recognize both the historical and current landscape of Black giving, drawing important lessons from this legacy of generosity and community support.

This essay is part of a Women & Democracy package focused on who’s funding the women and LGBTQ people on the frontlines of democracy. We’re manifesting a new era for philanthropy—one that centers feminism. The need is real: Funding for women and girls amounts to less than 2 percent of all philanthropic giving; for women of color, it’s less than 1 percent. Explore the “Feminist Philanthropy Is Essential to Democracy” collection.