Rest in Power

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Kamala Harris Takes the Torch; Rest in Power, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; Will D.C. Get Ranked-Choice Voting This November?

PUBLISHED 7/26/2024 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: remembering U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s leadership in protecting women from domestic violence and recognizing Juneteenth as a national holiday; For the first time in history, parent athletes competing in the Olympics now have access to a nursery in the Olympic Village; Alice Milliat was a pioneer who championed gender equality in the Olympics; Kamala Harris is the best candidate to compete against former President Trump; and more.

Remembering the Late Faith Ringgold—the Black Feminist Artist Who Knew Who She Was

PUBLISHED 7/3/2024 by

The late Faith Ringgold was a feminist, an activist, a teacher, a mother and an artist known for her innovative use of mediums, ranging from the more traditional oil on canvas, murals and mosaics, to story quilts, protest posters and soft sculptures.

(This article originally appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

War on Women Report: Anti-Abortion Activists Desperate to Keep Abortion Off 2024 Ballot; NAIA Bars Trans Women From Competing

PUBLISHED 4/30/2024 by and

U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

Since our last report: Missouri anti-abortion activists try to trick voters out of supporting a ballot measure to protect abortion rights; 70 percent of school shooters committed violence against women before or during their attacks; Connecticut may join Maine, Texas, California and New York in adopting coerced debt protections; Fox News spent only 12 minutes covering a ruling from the all-Republican Arizona Supreme Court reviving a 160-year-old state law that bans abortion; and more.

We Just Need to Pee

PUBLISHED 3/15/2024 by

I’ve had bathroom anxiety since I was a kid. I always felt that using the women’s restroom was always the safest bet—until I began hormone replacement therapy in my late 20s. I remember the moment when a sharp male voice came from behind me, asking, “Excuse me—are you a guy or a girl?” My scariest moment left me unscathed. I survived. Nothing happened. I was lucky. Nex Benedict was not.

Stories of the many vigils held across the country for Nex speak to the care for our community. The story of Nex’s classmates walking out in protest of the school’s bullying policies speaks to the bravery of this next generation joining the ranks marching to the front line. To my trans and gender-nonconforming siblings: You are seen, you are loved, you are worth fighting for. There will come a day when we all can pee in peace. We continue on.

War on Women Report: Anti-Abortion Group Tracks Planned Parenthood Visits; Texas Man Will Spend Five Months in Jail for Slipping Pregnant Wife Abortion Pill

PUBLISHED 3/1/2024 by and

U.S. patriarchal authoritarianism is on the rise, and democracy is on the decline. But day after day, we stay vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching, and we refuse to go back. This is the War on Women Report.

Since our last report: Modern surveillance tools pose an increasing threat to pregnant people and those helping them access care; a groundbreaking study proving the safety and effectiveness of telehealth abortion; in rare bipartisan move, Congress expanded the child tax credit for the next three years, lifting 400,000 children above the poverty line by 2025; rest in power, Nex Benedict; and more.

Rest in Power: Alice Shalvi, the Mother of Israeli Feminism

PUBLISHED 1/18/2024 by

The late Alice Shalvi was an Orthodox mother of six, a remarkable intellectual—and a breaker of glass ceilings who advanced women’s equality in realms both secular and religious. Her two enduring passions: promoting justice for all women and a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

(This article originally appears in the Winter 2024 issue of Ms. Join the Ms. community today and you’ll get issues delivered straight to your mailbox!)

Remembering My Mother: Susan Catania, Champion of the ERA

PUBLISHED 1/9/2024 by

Late last year, my mother Susan Catania—former Illinois state legislator, a relentless advocate for the ERA and a fearless champion of critical but politically unpopular causes—died.

Beholden to no one and with nothing to lose, she was known for her willingness to take unpopular stances. She introduced gay rights legislation, championed gun control and was the first Illinois legislator to sponsor the Freedom of Information Act. She passed income tax reform, a compensation plan for crime victims and legislation that led Illinois to become the first state to designate a state holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. More than 50 of her bills became law. But the fight that defined her career was the Equal Rights Amendment; she even became the ERA’s primary sponsor in Illinois.

Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation: Half the World Will Determine Their Representatives This Year; Rest in Power, Eddie Bernice Johnson

PUBLISHED 1/5/2024 by

Weekend Reading for Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation. 

This week: how previously unknown problems can be solved by electing diverse leaders; the longest-reigning queen in the world for 53 years, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is stepping down; rest in power, former Texas Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson; and more.

Rest in Power: Sandra Day O’Connor, the First Woman on the Supreme Court

PUBLISHED 12/18/2023 by

One hundred and ninety-one years after the first Supreme Court was convened, Sandra Day O’Connor smashed the glass ceiling and was sworn in as the first woman to become an associate justice and one of the most influential members in the history of the Court.

For 12 years, she was the only women on the bench and the most powerful woman in the United States. At the time, the entire institution was designed for and by men—from the signs on the walls harking to “Mr. Justice,” to the lack of bathrooms and other facilities closed off to women (though she later inaugurated and regularly attended an aerobics class for women law clerks).