Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian professor of mathematics at Stanford University, just became the first woman to win the Fields Medal. Referred to as the “Nobel Prize of math,” the Fields Medal is the highest honor one can receive in mathematics. Since it was first awarded in 1936, the prize has been given out every four years to […]
Herstory
42 Times Ms. Made History
Ms. has been reporting, rebelling and truth-telling for 42 years—and we have no plans to stop. Over the last four decades, we’ve been on the front lines of the women’s movement and we’ve never shied away from taboo topics. Relive some of our history-making moments below, and tell us what Ms. means to you in the comments. […]
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. […]
“I Wanna Be Just Like Yuri Kochiyama”
No activist is an island. In fact, solidarity between communities in parallel pursuit of justice has always formed the heart of effective intersectional advocacy. If anyone embodied this relentless pursuit of human rights solidarity, it was activist Yuri Kochiyama, 93, who died in her sleep Sunday in her Berkeley, Calif., home. Kochiyama’s life was a […]
What Gloria Steinem Means to Me
Gloria Steinem, co-founding editor of Ms., turns 80 today. In honor of her birthday, we asked friends and colleagues of hers to answer this question: “What does Gloria mean to you?” Below, read touching stories of Gloria’s life and legacy from those who have loved, admired and learned from her over the last eight decades. Happy […]
Forgotten Heroes and Incomplete Victories
Nancy Pelosi isn’t the only one who’s been visited by the suffragists. In fact, they came to see me first. While I was writing a paper late one night, they appeared in my dining room. Tell our story. Don’t just do an academic exercise, they insisted. “That’s not what the professor assigned,” I argued, rubbing […]