Today in Herstory: Gloria Steinem and Shirley Chisholm Take on Sexism Together (21 jan 1972)

[niyad]

Today in Herstory: Gloria Steinem and Shirley Chisholm Take on Sexism Together

January 21, 1972: This is certainly an exciting time to be a feminist, and that was especially true in Chicago today.



Women at the center of two national events next week are here vigorously promoting their upcoming ventures. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) is in town to talk about her Presidential campaign, which has been running informally since July, but gets officially launched four days from now. Gloria Steinem is here as well, generating publicity for the first stand-alone issue of “Ms.” magazine (pronounced “miz”), which will hit newsstands nationwide in just a few days.

The two started the day early – and together – as guests on Channel 7?s “Kennedy and Company.” Steinem was delighted to share the camera with Chisholm, saying:
I don’t even remember when we first met. I know our first long conversation was about two years ago when I tried to talk Shirley into running against Senator Javits. We’re in contact with each other at least once a month. We spent a fortune in telegrams yesterday trying to arrange our press conferences here so they wouldn’t conflict.

Though she forgot to bring her copy of Ms., Steinem did remember to wear her “Shirley Chisholm for President” button. Since she’s already been campaigning for Senator George McGovern (D-SD), Steinem was asked if there was a conflict, but said that she supported both candidates.


Steinem had undivided loyalty toward her new magazine, however. Originally an insert in the December 20th issue of “New York” magazine, the response was so great that a full-length version is about to be sent out to newsstands all around the country. If the 300,000 issues printed up sell out (it’s labeled a “Spring” issue so it will have several months to do so), Ms. will become a monthly “forum for all women” and deal with feminist and real women’s issues in a way that mainstream “women’s magazines” don’t.
The idea could work. Though “The Revolution,” owned by Susan B. Anthony and edited by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Parker Pillsbury had a rather short run after its launch in 1868, and ended up putting Anthony deeply in debt, Lucy Stone’s “Woman’s Journal” was successful and very influential from 1870 until 1917. Fifty-five years later it’s time for the country to have a new, overtly feminist, nationally-distributed, large circulation magazine.

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http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2015/01/21/today-in-herstory-gloria-steinem-and-shirley-chisholm-take-on-sexism-together/

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[niyad]

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