Barbie for President: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the White House Project and the Influence of Women in Leadership

Over the past 30 years, I have served the political arena in several roles—as an elected official, healthcare advocate, and most recently as a public affairs consultant. On panels and at events I’ve attended throughout my career, I’ve consistently heard the age-old question: “Can women have it all?” It’s a question that challenges women, who so often feel stuck when seeking a manageable balance between their personal lives and their careers.

It’s a question Marie Wilson hoped to address 25 years ago when she founded The White House Project, an initiative dedicated to increasing the number of women in leadership roles.

Women’s History: 10 of the Most Iconic Ms. Magazine Covers 

From calling attention to the endless labor performed by women in the home, to being the first magazine to put the first female speaker on its cover, Ms. covers allowed the magazine to make a statement on newsstands—and bring feminist conversations into the mainstream.

In honor of Women’s History Month, here are our picks of 10 of the magazine’s most impactful covers. 

Keeping Score: Kamala Harris Is First VP to Visit Abortion Provider; Fani Willis Can Pursue Racketeering Case Against Trump; Birth Control Access Is Key Election Issue

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: Alabama ruling endangers IVF; childcare costs are a significant barrier to parents having more children; Beyoncé and Olivia Rodrigo launch new charities; more than 9,000 women have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza; Biden addresses abortion access in the SOTU; new research on gender discrimination in the workplace; Kamala Harris’ visit to Minnesota abortion clinic is the first time a sitting U.S. president or vice president has visited an abortion provider; a judge ruled Fani Willis should not be disqualified from prosecuting the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump; and more.

Biden Administration Announces New Steps to Protect Abortion and Reproductive Health Access

In the midst of Republican elected officials “sowing chaos” in a “quest to ban abortion nationwide,” the Biden administration announced this week it is taking steps to help improve Americans’ reproductive healthcare access—including expanding coverage for no-cost contraception, increasing patient and provider awareness of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), safeguarding medication abortion access, and prosecuting violence against clinics and healthcare providers.

Keeping Score: Anti-LGBTQ Laws on the Rise; Wins and Losses for Abortion Representation on TV; Millions Sign up for Healthcare Coverage

In every issue of Ms., we track research on our progress in the fight for equality, catalogue can’t-miss quotes from feminist voices and keep tabs on the feminist movement’s many milestones. We’re Keeping Score online, too—in this biweekly roundup.

This week: In Florida, reproductive rights groups seeking a constitutional amendment protecting abortion secured enough signatures to put a referendum on the 2024 ballot; anti-LGBTQ laws are on the rise; tracking on-screen abortion representation; millions sign up for healthcare coverage; the pope approves blessings for same-sex couples; New York arbitrators frequently reinstate abusive correctional officers; Gypsy Rose Blanchard is released from prison; being a feminist does not equal hating men, research confirms; and more.

Persistence Overcomes Resistance: Honoring Women Suffragists Through Public Artwork

The percentage of women in politics, and many other professions, has grown significantly in the past few decades. However, when one looks at public artwork, women are almost nonexistent.

Inspired by the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the Chicago Womxn’s Suffrage Tribute Committee formed in 2020 in order to create public artwork to honor those who fought to legalize the vote for women. What originally started out as a one-mural project featuring suffrage leaders grew into three murals, all within one block of each other in the South Loop of Chicago.

Laphonza Butler Tapped to Fill Dianne Feinstein’s Senate Seat

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday named Laphonza Butler, the first Black woman to lead EMILY’s List, to fill the Senate vacancy created by the death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Butler was named two years ago to lead EMILY’s List, which works to elect Democratic women who support abortion access, and has led the organization through the end of federal abortion rights. Butler will also be the first openly LGBTQ+ senator from California.

“An advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris, Laphonza Butler represents the best of California, and she’ll represent us proudly in the United States Senate,” Newsom said in a statement.

In North Carolina, the U.S.’ Youngest Party Chair Has a Plan for Attracting Voters and Winning Elections in the Battleground State

Elected at 25 years old in North Carolina, Anderson Clayton is the youngest chair of a state Democratic party. In February, Clayton ousted Bobbie Richardson—a woman 48 years her senior who was endorsed by the North Carolina Democratic establishment, including Gov. Roy Cooper.

Clayton’s strategy for revitalizing the Democratic Party in North Carolina—a battleground state in the upcoming 2024 elections—is to expand the party’s base by focusing on young voters and rural communities, which she believes the party has ignored for far too long.

(This article originally appears in the Fall 2023 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get the issue delivered straight to your mailbox!)

Who Do We Call to Solve Our Most Complex Problems? Vice President Harris

Vice President Harris and Israeli President Isaac Herzog just announced $70 million in funding—half from the U.S. and half from Israel—for climate-smart agriculture to capture, store, use and protect water resources in the Middle East and Africa. And it’s no accident a project like this was put forward by the first female vice president in United States history who is a woman of color.