“I think most people will gasp when I tell you that I screamed—yelled at Gloria at one point. But you know, that’s, we thought those differences were life altering, basically. And she just laughed.”
This week we lost a towering figure of second wave feminism, Gloria Steinem.
I find myself not at all sad because I can’t imagine a life better spent. Gloria saw the trajectory of her life change in a church basement full of women telling their abortion stories. She never stopped being a journalist, but her life became so much bigger than a career.
She was a fighter who was never nasty, a white woman who believed in feminism for all, a poor child grown so eloquent and poised that she was accused of being many things that she was not. All human beings are complex, and thus so was Gloria Steinem. But in terms of legacy, she’s leaving one filled with perseverance and grace.
Last month I interviewed Barbara Winslow, whose book Revolutionary Feminists, covers the second wave movement in Seattle in detail. I encourage you to read the full story, but here’s what she had to say about Gloria Steinem. I think you’ll enjoy the anecdote.
For all the shtick Gloria Steinem gets, and she deserves a lot of it, but I think history will be kind to her and I admire her. When she would go on public speaking tours, she only went with a, an African American woman and she went to Seattle with Margaret Sloan. The press only covered Steinem, didn’t even mention Sloan, even though they spoke to the local, National Council of Black Women, they never mentioned her.
And so, yes, I mean the racism was pretty extraordinary. Even people who supported the Civil Rights Movement, it was sort of like, well, Gloria’s the star. And Gloria would try, I mean, in fairness to Gloria, she would try.
Although I love this story. She came to speak on that trip at the UDub, and we were denouncing her for not supporting Shirley Chisholm’s campaign enough. Now, by then, McGovern had gotten the, uh, nomination, so Chisholm was not a candidate, but our group sent Chisholm, Mrs. Chisholm, $15.
And when Gloria came to speak in 2008 to commemorate the whatever it was, 40th anniversary of Chisholm winning Congress, you know, I met her at the car and we walked in, I said, I don’t think you’ll remember this, but after you spoke at the UW in 1972, you very generously invited a whole bunch of us to your room to talk politics.
And all we did is scream at you for not supporting Shirley Chisholm. And she just laughed. And she said, “Oh, Barbara. But we thought those issues were so important.” And when I introduced her, I told her the story. I said, I think most people will gasp when I tell you that I scream, yelled at Gloria at one point. But you know, that’s, we thought those differences were life altering basically.
Like I said, a legacy of perseverance and grace. I’d say rest in peace, but I think it’s more important to say: let’s continue the fight for Gloria—and for all of us.
For more information and links:
- Check out the full interview with historian and activist Barbara Winslow, “Turning the World Upside-Down.”
