GLORIA STEINEM COMING TO MILLS FOR PUBLIC CONVERSATION

Leading Feminist Activist to Appear with Holly Kernan, Meredith May on
Thursday, March 15, 2007

Oakland, CA - One of the foremost feminist activists of her time and the country’s most eloquent voice on behalf of women’s rights, Gloria Steinem will appear in conversation at Mills College on Thursday, March 15, 2007. Holly Kernan, Mills lecturer and KALW news director, and Meredith May, Mills alumna and award-winning staff writer with the San Francisco Chronicle, will interview Steinem in the Mills Concert Hall, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613.

The event is free and open to the public from 4 pm–5:30 pm.

Steinem’s progressive writing and worldwide lecturing have influenced entire generations, inspiring and informing the contemporary feminist movement. In addition to reshaping American attitudes about gender roles, she has worked valiantly for more than three decades to advance societal change in areas such as civil rights, child abuse, peace, and justice.

In 1968, Steinem helped to found New York magazine, where she became a contributing editor and wrote “The City Politic” column. In 1972, she co-founded Ms. Magazine, the first national publication providing the public with a worldview of feminism. She remained one of its editors for 15 years, and continues to serve as a consulting editor.

Steinem is the author of the bestselling books 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. Her writing also appears in numerous anthologies and textbooks, and she was an editor of The Reader's Companion to U.S. Women's History.

Among Steinem’s many awards for writing and journalism are the Society of Writers Award from the United Nations, the Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Front Page and Clarion awards, and an Emmy citation for excellence in television writing.

Her achievements in advancing equality include helping to found both the Women's Action Alliance, a pioneering national information center specializing in nonsexist, multiracial children's education, and the National Women's Political Caucus dedicated to increasing women’s leadership in the political process.

Steinem is the recipient of the Bill of Rights award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the National Gay Rights Advocates award, the Liberty award of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, and the Ceres Medal from the United Nations, as well as many honorary degrees.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently recognized as one of the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills currently ranks among the top 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The New York Times recently selected Mills as one of three leading California colleges for students to consider.

In 2006, the Washington Monthly College Rankings named Mills a leading liberal arts college based on community service, research spending, quality of preparation for graduate education, and social mobility. In addition, The Princeton Review’s annual guide, the Best 361 Colleges (2007) included Mills for the second year in a row among top U.S. institutions offering students an outstanding undergraduate education.

Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

PRESS CONTACT:
Deborah Dallinger
Communications Consultant
925.788.9131