Dear John,

Well, it’s been a year. 

As we take a moment to regroup this holiday season and start to plan for 2025, I’m reflecting on some of the most important stories we covered this year at Ms. We focused on the issues that matter most to women—especially when it came to issues that the mainstream media establishment has often overlooked, but that we’ve been paying attention to for a long time. Here are six of them. 

Our Spring 2024 installment of our Women & Democracy platform, The ERA is Essential to Democracy, was dedicated to the bold future of the Equal Rights Amendment. Speaking with constitutional experts and lawmakers, we asked key questions: What will it take to fully and finally recognize the ERA as the 28th Amendment? How strong is public support for the ERA? (Spoiler alert: VERY.) And how will the ERA help turn the tide against rollbacks to abortion and reproductive freedom, post-Dobbs?

We’ve never been quiet about threats to our fundamental rights—even when those threats seemed far off. Since February, we’ve been delivering the latest updates on the right’s “misogynist manifesto”: Project 2025. From dismantling the Department of Education, to enforcing draconian abortion bans at the federal level, Project 2025 will have drastic consequences for the nation as a whole—and women in particular—if implemented. But feminists aren’t going down without a fight: we also spoke to the lawmakers and activists who are preparing for the incoming administration’s threats to our civil liberties. 

And just as women in the U.S. continue to fight for our basic rights, we couldn’t forget about the women around the world who are also fighting back against restrictive regimes that seek to control their bodies. In our Fall print issue, we examine how Afghan women are resisting in the face of the ongoing Taliban crackdown that has eliminated their rights to hold jobs, attend school, and exist in public life. 

In the fall, as the election loomed over us all, we handed the mike over to the next generation of voters with the launch of our latest podcast, The Z Factor. Host Anoushka Chander spoke with Gen Z activists, politicians and pollsters about the issues that matter to them—from the fight against climate change, to the fight for our democracy. 

As Kamala Harris stepped in to replace Joe Biden as the democratic presidential nominee, it felt like we had front-row seats to yet another cultural inflection point—particularly when it came to men and masculinities. From right-wing criticisms of Tim Walz’s military record to the debates to the role of white men in re-electing Donald Trump, Ms. contributor Jackson Katz analyzed what happened along the way—illuminating how exactly we got here.

And as we end the year, we’re mourning those who didn’t make it—particularly the women who died preventable deaths because of Republican abortion bans. These are just some of the names on that list:

Josseli Barnica. 
Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick. 
Porsha Ngumezi. 
Nevaeh Crain. 

These women should be alive today. Ms. continues to tell their stories, adding to the list as new names are made public—though we know that they represent just a fraction of the total cost to lives and futures caused by these bans. 

These stories and projects—many of which have been scarcely covered by more mainstream publications—just go to show the importance of feminist-focused news coverage in our current cultural and political moment. As a Ms. reader, you know that feminist journalism is essential to public discourse. It is essential to political debate. And it is absolutely essential to free and fair democracy. We can promise that even when they want us to, we will not look away and we will not be silent. 

Onward,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

P.S. — Scrambling for a last-minute holiday gift? Give the gift of Ms. to your loved ones and feminist friends (or to yourself!) this year with a special gift membership to the Ms. community! Right now, for the SPECIAL HOLIDAY PRICE OF $20, gift recipients will receive a year of Ms. magazine. Just use promo code MSGIFT24 during checkout.

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin on

Apple Podcasts + Spotify.

In this episode, we continue to assess and reckon with the 2024 election results.  How did abortion rights prevail, while anti-abortion lawmakers were elected in the very same states? What will a Trump administration mean for women’s rights, federal courts, agencies and throughout government?  Are there any safeguards left as a check or restraint on abuse of office?  And, what silver linings can we find among the election results?

We hope you'll listen, subscribe, rate and review today!

U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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