This past Tuesday, February 18th, Gloria Steinem came to Auburn and spoke for the Extraordinary Women Lecture. If you don’t know, Steinem is one of the most well-known political activists in the women’s rights movement. In her lifetime, Steinem has done enough to put our Netflix-binges and all-nighters at RBD to shame. She co-founded Ms. and New York magazines, written four bestsellers, helped found and preside over numerous political organizations and committees — including the Women’s Action Alliance, the Women’s Media Center and the Ms. Foundation for Women — and received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom. To put it briefly, Gloria Steinem is a wonder woman.
Raye Hendrix, senior at Auburn, got to attend the lecture and hear Gloria Steinem speak. “Gloria Steinem is just one of those people who if you have the chance to go hear her talk, you go,” Hendrix said. “She’s one of the most influential activists for women’s equality and as a fellow feminist, it felt like a sin to not go!” Hendrix said her favorite part of the lecture, and the part that stuck with her was “Probably that [the women’s rights movment] isn’t over. She said something about how people tend to look for the ends of movements, but that the battle for women’s equality has only really been going for about 40 years, and it historically takes about 100 for things to really begin changing. So I guess that’s the biggest thing I took from it: it’s not over. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
So, while you’re slogging away at schoolwork and squinting to see the sunshine at the end of this two-week tunnel that leads to Spring Break, look to Gloria Steinem for some motivation. Carry your torch, think about where you stand in the women’s rights movement and encourage the other women around you. And remember — if Gloria Steinem could do all this, you can do your homework!