Gloria Steinem Headlines Powerhouse Speakers Series

February 26, 2008

New Wave staff
newwave@tulane.edu

When it comes to “powerhouse” speakers, Gloria Steinem certainly fills the bill. The writer, lecturer and feminist icon will speak at Tulane on March 6 as part of the second annual Powerhouse Speakers Series sponsored by the Newcomb College Institute.

Steinem’s lecture, which is free of charge and open to the public, is at 7 p.m. in the Lavin-Bernick Center’s Kendall Cram Lecture Hall.

A writer, editor, lecturer and activist, Steinem has devoted her life to fighting for justice and equality. She co-founded Ms. magazine and the Ms. Foundation for Women, and helped to found New York magazine.

The New York City resident currently is at work on Road to the Heart: America As If Everyone Mattered, a book about her 30-plus years on the road as a feminist organizer. Steinem also is collaborating with the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College on a project to document the grassroots origins of the U.S. women’s movement.

Her books include the bestsellers Revolution From Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

In 2004, she helped found the Women’s Media Center, a non-partisan, nonprofit progressive women’s media organization, along with writers/activists Jane Fonda and Robin Morgan. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, N.Y., in 1993.

The Powerhouse Speakers Series raises awareness of women’s contributions to society by featuring influential women across academic disciplines and professions who are role models and pacesetters for women.

Last year’s inaugural series featured architectural theorist Ila Berman, NASA atmospheric scientist Robbie Hood, hurricane specialist Michelle Mainelli, and composer Bernice Johnson Reagon.

The Newcomb College Institute provides academic and co-curricular programs to enhance the education of undergraduate women at Tulane University. Established in July 2006, the institute oversees Newcomb Student Programs, the Newcomb College Center for Research on Women and the Newcomb Alumnae Office.