Feminism Is Freedom: Honoring Gloria Steinem by choosing our own path

OPINION

An icon has gone on to glory. Gloria Steinem — feminist, journalist, activist, and architect of modern women’s liberation — has left this earth, but she has not left us. Her legacy is stitched into every woman who has ever dared to lead, to speak, to organize, to challenge power, or to imagine a world where equality is not aspirational but expected.

I had the profound honor of spending time in Gloria’s home, sitting on a panel moderated by Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. There, it felt like a lifetime’s worth of wisdom poured into one room. We gathered as women of influence, strategizing about how to preserve the rights of all people in America — a conversation that feels even more urgent now, in the wake of our rights being rolled back, and of her passing. To sit in Gloria’s living room, a space where countless empowerment movements were birthed, was to sit inside history itself. It was a reminder that movements are not abstract; they are made of people, courage, and conviction. As Gloria once said, “A movement is only people moving.”

That day, I felt the weight and the warmth of Gloria’s legacy. I also felt it in the presence of other effective women like A’shanti F. Gholar, Emerge America’s phenomenal Executive Director, and in the energy of other female elected officials and social‑media influencers who understand that advocacy is no longer confined to podiums — it lives in posts, in organizing, in storytelling, in showing up, and in bold actions that force change.

Emerge, the nation’s premier organization training Democratic women to run for office, has shaped leaders like Vice President Kamala Harris — and yes, even me. Gloria believed deeply in women stepping into political power, even though she never sought elected office herself. She simply wanted more women to know they could.

Gloria also deeply believed in black women, often crediting women of color for teaching her feminism and refining her into the activist she became. Gloria has said, “People talk to me about white feminism, and I say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ If it’s white, it can’t be feminism. I mean, hello? It either includes all women or it’s not feminism. There is just no such thing as defeating sexism without also being anti-racist, and no such thing as defeating racism without also being a feminist.” In another publication she went on to say, “Nothing in this country is not affected by racism and sexism and class…I learned feminism disproportionately from Black women.”

Gloria’s passing is not just a moment of mourning; it is a moment of reckoning.

Because Gloria Steinem did not simply fight for women — she fought for humanity. She fought for a world where dignity is non‑negotiable, where justice is not selective, and where every person can live fully in their truth. She reminded us that “When unique voices are united in a common cause, they make history.” And she proved it.

Gloria spent her life insisting that women’s voices matter, that our experiences matter, that our leadership matters, and that we can do whatever we choose. She challenged the world to confront its biases — including the belief that women must choose between motherhood and ambition. One of her most piercing observations was, “I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career.” That line has echoed in my own journey as a mother of five, a legislator, and a woman navigating public life with a family in tow. Her words, so powerful, embolden me and countless working mothers — past, present, and future — to reject false stereotypes and fully embrace the lives we choose. After all, feminism is the freedom to choose who you want to be in every part of your life — your roles, your work, your family, your actions, your identity — all defined by you, not by limits placed on you. Feminism means every woman gets to define her own life, on her own terms.

Gloria also understood courage. She understood that courage is not the absence of fear but the refusal to let fear dictate our purpose. When she said, “Girls need to know they can break the rules,” she wasn’t encouraging rebellion for rebellion’s sake — she was urging women to break the rules that were never meant to serve us in the first place. Rules that said women should be quiet. Rules that said women should wait their turn. Rules that said women should shrink so others could shine. Rules that said women were inferior.

Gloria’s passing demands that we ask ourselves: Are we still breaking the rules that need breaking? Are we still pushing for equality with the same fire she carried for more than six decades? Are we still lifting as we climb, building coalitions, and refusing to let cynicism replace hope? Are we supporting men who only seek to control, disrespect, exploit, and even abuse women? Are we allowing a system of power to be perpetually managed by people who are determined to continue oppression through racism, sexism, and classism? Nothing irritates me more than smart women following behind men who are ignorant, biased, and unqualified — and knowing it.

As we honor her life, we must also honor her charge. We must continue the work. We must continue speaking out. We must continue organizing. We must continue running for office. We must continue telling the truth, even when it is inconvenient, even when it is unpopular, even when it is uncomfortable.

Gloria Steinem’s passing is not the end of an era — it is the passing of a torch. And to every woman reading this — especially those who have ever questioned their own strength — the torch is yours now. Carry it boldly.

And to every man — understand that women are not here to be controlled or confined. We are human beings with full autonomy: to think, to choose, and to become who we decide to be with or without you. Think about that next time you go to describe a woman as “out of control.”

Gloria, your words of power will forever be etched on my courage. On your shoulders, we feminists stand. And on your shoulders, we rise.

Britnee Timberlake is a mother of five, wife, advocate, organizer, state senator, executive, humanitarian, leader , and feminist who says “every title is mine because I chose it.”