Dear John,

At our weekly team meeting yesterday, the Ms. staff was buzzing with excitement—and I want to make sure you know the good news, too: President-Elect Biden has officially nominated the first gender-balanced presidential Cabinet in U.S. history. 

With Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and 11 women nominees—seven of them women of color—President Biden’s Cabinet will be, as he promised, “the single-most diverse… that’s ever existed.” If confirmed by the Senate, 50 percent of the Cabinet will be women—allowing the U.S. to be, for once, a global leader on women’s representation in public office. Truly an exciting milestone for equality—one that our team took a moment to celebrate, even in the midst of so much darkness. 

There's no denying it: 2021 is going to be an exciting, impactful, critically important year for the feminist movement. Already, in the first weeks of the new year, we've seen that opponents of equality are going to challenge us at every turn and do as much damage as they possibly can.

But we also have much to celebrate—including the first gender balanced presidential Cabinet—and I truly believe that we must use these victories, as hard-fought and overdue as they are, to fuel us in our ongoing work. It’s up to feminists like us to continue to push the Biden administration and Congress forward over the course of the next four years, and to fight back against right-wing efforts to derail, oppose, or even terrorize us. So, yes: we can celebrate our victories—but we cannot relax. Our fight for equality continues. 

For equality,

Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

P.S. We’ll be unveiling the cover of our new Winter Issue next week—and I know you’re going to love it! Become a Ms. Member today to receive the new issue in your mailbox.