Join Ms. for a vibrant weekend celebrating feminist art, activism and community at Carole Richard Kaufmann’s New York City studio—315 W 39th Street, Studio 600, New York City, on Saturday, May 31, and Sunday, June 1, from noon to 5 p.m. each day.
Ms. Magazine’s Spring 2025 Sneak Peek: ‘If It Can Happen Here…’
Just a few short miles away from Ms.‘ L.A. office, officials with the city of Beverly Hills responded to a campaign by antiabortion extremists by blocking an all-term clinic from opening its doors. An investigation into how they succeeded—in California, an “abortion sanctuary”—is our cover story for this issue. With this accomplished, where will extremists target next?
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It’s Time to Take Action—Even Though It Feels Dangerous
“Action is the antidote to despair.”
I find this statement by the legendary activist/songwriter, Joan Baez, to be particularly relevant and inspiring in this time when it’s so easy to fall into despair. When I am engaged in activism—the purposeful resistance to the many push backs on rights and freedoms—I push aside despair and reclaim the hope that comes with action.
And it’s time for action! Time to stop the handwringing and worse, the silence, about what is happening in the U.S. that is having an impact everywhere in the world.
Attacks on Clinics, Abandonment of Justice—And the Feminist Resistance Rising in Response
Trump’s pardon of 23 antiabortion extremists—followed by the Justice Department’s decision to stop prosecuting most FACE Act violations—has emboldened those who seek to terrorize clinic workers and patients. But feminists are fighting back. From lawmakers to grassroots organizers, the movement is rolling up its sleeves to defend reproductive rights and strategize for the battles ahead.
Meet the New Feminists in Congress Who Are Fighting Back
The progressive women newly elected and sworn into office—including three non-incumbent senators and 16 representatives—offer a glimmer of “bright hope” as the country enters a second Trump administration.
All of these women know that they’re entering a complicated political landscape, one that’s heavily partisan and disheartening to many of their constituents. They’re also experienced and driven, ready to work across the aisle as necessary while remaining dedicated to important causes, from protecting abortion rights and supporting the LGBTQ+ community to advocating for gun control, judicial reform, affordable healthcare and public education. These women come from all walks of life, sectors of the workforce and backgrounds. Some worked retail or food service jobs to pay their way through school. Others have been lifelong public servants or dedicated themselves to volunteering. They’ve been working physicians, engineers, attorneys, climate change activists, CIA analysts, mayors, state representatives and senators, education advocates, executive directors of nonprofits and small-business owners. They are Black, white, Latina and Middle Eastern. Some are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community. Many are from working-class backgrounds. Some are mothers and even grandmothers. Several are first-generation college graduates or the children of immigrants.
‘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.
This Moment Is a Call to Action for Feminists Everywhere
Hard-won rights are steadily being rolled back. Authoritarianism is once again fashionable, dressed up in slogans and banners. And billionaires are calling the shots. This moment feels grim and hopeless—but it’s not. Consider it, instead, a call to action for feminists everywhere.
Ms. magazine was born for a time like this. Fifty-three years ago, Gloria. Steinem and a small band of determined women set out to create a magazine that didn’t whisper, didn’t apologize and didn’t avert its eyes from the truth. All these years later, Ms. remains—still defiant, still asking questions others won’t dare to touch, still answering those questions truthfully and boldly.
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.
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.