Feminists and Friends Reflect on Pat Schroeder’s Legacy

Since the news broke about Pat Schroeder’s death on March 14, there have been thousands of tributes, obituaries, tweets and social media postings in her honor. They described her as a maverick, pioneer, feminist champion, trailblazer, fearlessly independent politician, and an icon and role model for many elected officials, men and women. We agree—but for the feminist movement, Pat Schroeder was much more. On March 22, 2023, the House of Representatives will honor Schroeder with a moment of silence. In honor of this one minute—60 seconds—of silence, we’ve compiled 60 stories from people who knew and admired Pat Schroeder.

“Pat was best known for being a fierce advocate for women. And many young women asked her for advice. She told them to make sure women were in rooms where decisions were being made. And if they were not, to kick the door down and hold the door open for those behind them.”

Thank You, Rush Limbaugh, For My Feminism

Rush Limbaugh made it clear: Women who desire power and self-determination weren’t real women at all.

Luckily, most of the values I learned—hard-work, guts, grit and kindness—far outweigh Rush Limbaugh’s disturbing messaging about how to be a woman in rural America, but it was a deep sexism that fueled the birth of my feminism.

Politicians Say the Darndest Things

In the past several months, a myriad of public figures have made ridiculous (ignorant, offensive) comments about women and their bodies. We’ve put together a slideshow highlighting the most absurd […]