Clearinghouse on Women's Issues (CWI) – Dialogues on Issues Important to Women (1974-present & beyond)

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Keep Gloria Steinem’s Vision Alive: Implications for the Nov. 2026 Midterm Elections

After registering at above link, or CWI webpage above, you will receive a confirmation email containing the link to join the meeting Tue 10-6, 2026, 12 noon to 1:15 PM (ET).

The loss of feminist leader and icon Gloria Steinem in late August was a body blow for those committed to women’s rights and to the liberation of all people. Only death could still her voice, and she actively participated in feminist leadership to her last days. Our job now is to secure her vision of a society where women and men share rights and leadership equitably and all people are included in making the decisions that affect their lives.

Join the Clearinghouse for Women’s Issues on Tuesday, October 6th at noon Eastern time for a discussion of how the coming midterm elections are a litmus test for those of us inspired by Gloria Steinem, her words, her life, and the institutions she created. She said, “Decisions are best made by the people affected by them.” So we are mandated not only to participate in the sacred duty of voting in a democracy, but to use our votes to correct the direction of this nation.

You will hear about Gloria Steinem’s groundbreaking work over more than a half-century of speaking, writing, and challenging the patriarchal status quo, and how important she considered this November’s elections to be. We’ll also note the loss, shortly after Gloria’s, of her colleague and icon herself, the writer and editor Robin Morgan, a long-time editor of Ms. Magazine, which was created by Gloria and others to be a voice for women everywhere.

Our speakers are: Barbara Findlen, Features Editor, Women’s Media Center and Deidre Malone, National President of the National Women’s Political Caucus—organizations Gloria and her colleagues founded to raise the visibility, viability, and decision-making power of women and girls in media and for NWPC to recruit, train, and elect feminist women to public office at every level. Barbara Findlen is a longtime feminist journalist with over 30 years experience, including as executive editor of Ms. Magazine. She worked for many years with Gloria and Robin at both Ms. and the Women’s Media Center. Deidre Malone is in her second term as NWPC President after serving in vice-president positions. She was also elected to the Shelby County Commission in Tennessee in 2002 and made history as the first African American woman chair. She is CEO of the Carter Malone Group, a public relations, marketing, advertising and government relations firm based in Memphis. The conversation will be moderated by Karen Humphrey, former Mayor of Fresno, CA, former President of NWPC California, and a CWI board member and VP for Political Issues.

You will also get information on how important the midterm elections are to change the anti-democratic, anti-equality, divisive and hateful policies of the current administration. Those in power right now seek to push back by decades the advancements in women’s rights, civil rights, voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, immigrant rights, and the ability of all Americans to thrive in a truly democratic country. You’ll hear about the myriad ways that legal experts, civil rights and women’s leaders, and many grassroots community groups are not just fighting administration policies, but gearing up for the largest voter turnout in American history, and you’ll be provided online sources of information and organizing.

You’ll also learn how to identify the candidates who we should especially support right now—the feminist women candidates who lead the charge for change. Most of all, we hope you’ll be inspired to join and lead the growing movement toward multi-cultural, gender-equitable, inclusive democracy. The lives of feminist leaders like Gloria Steinem and Robin Morgan are a mandate for us to choose our future, not only by getting engaged in the November midterm elections, but in the ongoing work of democratic participation and leadership.