[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 166 (Friday, October 21, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING MS. MAGAZINE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 21, 2022

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. I rise to recognize Ms. Magazine 
for its work to provide comprehensive coverage of women's issues and to 
celebrate the magazine's fiftieth anniversary.
  When feminist activists Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pittman Hughes 
started Ms. Magazine in December 1971 with a 40-page insert inside New 
York magazine, few could have predicted its longevity and its far-
reaching impact. But the magazine immediately struck a chord with 
women, selling 300,000 copies in eight days and generating 26,000 
subscription orders and more than 20,000 reader letters within weeks.
  While most magazines marketed to women at the time emphasized 
domestic topics such as the importance of finding a husband, Ms. 
Magazine featured stories on prominent women's issues including 
abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, domestic violence, and sexual 
harassment.
  In July 1972, the first issue of Ms. Magazine was published with an 
image of Wonder Woman on the cover. In the same issue, 53 women, 
including Billie Jean King, Nora Ephron, and Gloria Steinem, signed a 
``we have had abortions petition,'' one year before the Supreme Court's 
landmark decision in Roe v. Wade.
  In the years following, Ms. Magazine has covered and influenced the 
feminist movement. On a personal note, the magazine also profoundly 
impacted my career aspirations and legislative agenda in both the New 
York City Council and in Congress.
  Over the course of my career, I didn't have to call Ms. Magazine five 
times to convince them to cover issues and legislation like the Debbie 
Smith Act, the horrific crime of sex trafficking, and the Equal Rights 
Amendment.
  Ms. Magazine also faithfully chronicled my 20-year fight to create 
the National Women's History Museum on the Mall. Without Ms. Magazines' 
coverage and advocacy, we might still be fighting.
  Women comprise half the population. But we get nowhere near half the 
attention on critical issues. Most other magazines and new outlets 
swoop in to cover monumental women's issues like the rollback of Roe. 
v. Wade. But Ms. Magazine is there every day to cover issues of 
importance to women and to shine the light on women's often-hidden 
contributions to all fields.
  I join millions of women worldwide in recognizing the extraordinary 
accomplishments and contributions of Ms. Magazine over the past 50 
years, and in wishing them every success in the next 50. Because Ms. 
Magazine isn't just a magazine. It's a movement.

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