Gloria Steinem, the writer and fearless activist who became the public face of the women’s liberation movement in the United States, has died at the age of 92.
In a public statement shared on social media, her foundation confirmed that she passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by the people who loved her most.
Steinem began her career as a journalist in New York in the 1970s. She quickly became a powerful voice for change, co-founding Ms. magazine. It was one of the very first publications to focus on real women’s issues instead of just housekeeping and beauty tips. More than fifty years ago, she also helped start the Women’s Action Alliance to fight everyday sexism.
Her public fights were always deeply personal. When she was just 22 years old, she traveled to London to get an illegal abortion because she had no other safe choice. Decades later, she celebrated the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that gave women the constitutional right to choose. Nearly half a century after that massive victory, she lived to see the Supreme Court reverse it, a heavy blow she fought against until her final days. She also spoke out loudly for equal pay, same-sex marriage, and against the death penalty.
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Her foundation praised her unique spirit, noting simply in their statement that “she continued working for equality until the very end.”
“Gloria’s greatest gift was her ability to listen to others, to make others feel seen and heard,” the group wrote in their tribute. “Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves.”
In her last years, she turned her New York home into a busy hub for social justice. She regularly welcomed guests for “Talking Circles” and worked on a new book called An Unexpected Life. Her foundation hopes these community gatherings will continue to create ripple effects for future generations.
She spent her entire life making sure women were finally heard in rooms that tried to ignore them. Now, the massive movement she helped build from the ground up will have to carry that loud, clear voice forward on its own.
Promise Idoko is Junior Reporter working with moderncrux He covers global politics and international affairs. Based in Nigeria,
