Gloria Steinem, Feminist Pioneer and Activist, Dies at 92

3 min read

THE RUNDOWN

• Feminist icon Gloria Steinem passed away at 92 in her New York City home yesterday, her foundation revealed.
• Her cause of death wasn’t disclosed.
• Steinem was a leader of the women’s rights movement for decades and remained an engaged activist up until her death, hosting Talking Circles in her home during her later years.

Longtime feminist activist Gloria Steinem passed away at 92 yesterday, her foundation revealed on Instagram, “surrounded by some of the many who loved her” at her home in New York City.

“Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and she continued working for equality until the very end,” it wrote, asking those who wish to honor her to light a candle and consider donating to Gloria’s Foundation, per her wishes.

The organization did not disclose any details about her cause of death.

Steinem was a leader in the women’s rights movement for decades, first becoming a prominent activist during second-wave feminism in the 1960s. In 2013, former president Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for awakening “a vast and often skeptical public” to women’s issues.

Her foundation shared a statement about her passing, detailing the legacy she purposely built during her life to help those who come after her continue to work for equality. It said:

Yesterday, Gloria Steinem passed away peacefully at her home in New York City, surrounded by some of the many who loved her. Gloria’s near-century on earth were years well-lived, and 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. Her words, actions, and example gave people permission to be their truest selves. Gloria lived true to her independent spirit, always with curiosity and a great sense of humor.

She spent her recent years doing the two things she loved most: being in community with others and writing. She has welcomed hundreds of guests into her living room for Talking Circles, a tradition she insisted will continue long after she is no longer with us. As Gloria wrote in her forthcoming book, An Unexpected Life, “I have now lived for more than fifty years in this brownstone, in rooms that have witnessed lives before mine, and will know others after I am gone.” This book, along with her commitment to her home becoming a center for social justice movements, are among the many gifts Gloria has given the world with the hope they have ripple effects for generations to come. Gloria often quoted the adage: “The flap of a butterfly’s wing can change the weather hundreds of miles away.”

Gloria loved the tradition of lighting signal fires on hills to light the way to the other side of the mountain. Lighting your own candle for Gloria makes you part of this global and celestial community circle. In lieu of flowers, Gloria has asked that those wishing to honor her with a gift, may make a donation to Gloria’s Foundation.

Steinem spoke to ELLE in several interviews over the years. In 2019, she shared her outlook on how the world has changed over time.

“Well, speaking to radicalization… I think it takes us a while to experience the ways in which women are treated, and that radicalizes us as we age,” she said. “So when we’re young, we may think, ‘Oh! Well, that was taken care of,’ or ‘it can’t be that bad.’ Also, discrimination increases with age. We’re treated less well, in general, as we get older and that’s very radicalizing. I actually probably experience it less than anyone else, because I’m in the middle of the women’s movement, so I’m lucky.”