To future generations of women, you are the roots of change

Activist and author Gloria Steinem is an icon of the global feminist movement. She's spent her life defying stereotypes, breaking social barriers and fighting for equality. In conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Steinem reflects on the revolutionary roots of the feminist movement, the fundamental need for intersectionality to combat prejudice, and how she overcame her fears with the support of friends. Now she urges future generations of women to advocate for each other in solidarity -- and discover the freedom found in companionship and community.

Gloria Steinem: Yes, hello, hello.

Pat Mitchell: Hello, hello.

What a thrill to have this opportunity.

When we ask all of our
TED community, many of them,

"Who would you like to hear from
if we're going to look forward and onward,

when it comes to women in the world?"

Unanimously, the answer
was "Gloria Steinem."

Now I know you're way too modest
to accept that easily,

so before we move onward,

may I go back a bit,

since we have known each other
for a long time,

and talk about those early days
when you were building a movement,

challenging stereotypes,

moving beyond cultural norms.

You must have had some manifestation
of "Fearless" in your life.

What were your fears
and how did you overcome them?

GS: No, I certainly had a lot of fears,

and chief among them
was speaking in public,

just like I am now.

Because, you know, we choose
to express ourselves

in the way that is most natural,

and I became a writer
because I didn't want to talk.

So the first thing I had to overcome
was the fear of public speaking,

and because I was afraid
to do it by myself,

I asked a friend to do it with me --

Dorothy Pitman Hughes,
and then Flo Kennedy --

anyway, so we became,
in that way, somewhat accidentally,

one white woman, one Black woman,
speaking together, which, you know,

was very helpful to express
that the movement was for everyone.

PM: And in those early days,

when you were becoming,
not only a really powerful public speaker,

in spite of your fears,

you were also normalizing and creating

response to a word that became
the anthem for so many of us,

literally changing lives,

standing in front of crowds and saying,

"Feminism is for every woman."

And I see now, as you do,
that there are still ways

in which feminism
is not understood as a concept.

Misunderstood, criticized,
sometimes ridiculed.

How do you describe feminism?

GS: Well, it's just the radical idea
that human beings are all equal

and we can dispense with the labels
of gender and class and race

and begin to realize
our unique individuality.

Of course feminism
was misunderstood in the beginning,

as if it were about female superiority

or it was a movement for lesbians only,

not for all women.

I mean, you know, there were all kinds
of misunderstandings,

not to mention ridicule.

But I hope that that's past.

I used to just send people
to the dictionary

to look up feminism, very helpful.

(Both laugh)

PM: How do you feel the new generation

and the next generation of young women --

what is their relationship with the word

and the concept of,
"there's still a lot to be done

to reach that equal step"?

GS: Yeah, well I don't think that --

I mean, the word is still there,
womanism, women's liberation,

there are all kinds of words,

but I think it's much more about content

and not worrying too much about form.

So Black Lives Matter was started
by three young Black feminists.

You know, that was their creation

that is beginning to change
much that needs to be changed.

And they just assumed

that of course they were there
as three young Black feminists.

PM: And in the early days
of the women's movement

and continuing all the way through,

one of the ways that we have learned
to talk to each other

about difficult issues
in which we may have disagreements,

were sort of the talking circles
or the consciousness raising,

but is this something we could do

to begin to build back
the bridges between us?

GS: You know, I regret
the emphasis on divisions,

because we are more unified
than any other movement in history.

So I think we ought
to celebrate that fact.

And it comes out of talking circles
as you point out,

which used to be called
consciousness raising groups.

And it just means
that you sit in a circle,

as Native Americans taught us long ago,

and you each get to speak in turn --

Native Americans passed
around a talking stick --

and everybody has to listen
while each person --

and in that way, you say unsayable things

and somebody on the other
side of the circle says,

"Oh, I've experienced that too."

And you discover what is shared

and also, you discover
how you can help each other.

There's no substitute
for those kinds of talking circles.

PM: I want to be the first
to volunteer with you, Gloria,

to start the talking circles
and passing the talking sticks again.

One of the surprising things
that people who come into your presence

are always surprised to find out
what a great sense of humor you have.

And one of my favorite books
of the many you have written

sits by my bedside,

and the title of it -- forgive me
those who might not like bad language --

the title is "The Truth Will Set You Free,
But First It Will Piss You Off!"

So I'm wondering now
what truth is setting you free

and what continues to piss you off?

GS: Well, actually, right at this moment,

I mean, the truth is COVID --

you know, and we understand
that is a universal experience

and danger we're all dealing with,

and what pisses me off
is that we don't use that experience

in the positive sense.

In the sense that we learn from dangers

as well as from accomplishments.

It pisses me off that this is not
used in a positive way

to overcome the idea
of categories of human beings

or of national boundaries or of countries.

I mean, we're all here on Spaceship Earth.

(Laughs)

We're all citizens of Spaceship Earth,
and COVID knows that,

so it should help to teach us that.

PM: And as we're looking
at our current reality,

we've seen yet another
great milestone for women,

in this country for sure,

with the newly elected
Vice President Kamala Harris,

who said in her speech, you know,

"I may be the first,
but I won't be the last,"

and I think of the many times
that you and I and others have said that.

What difference will it make,

in our country and around the world,

when there are more women
in all leadership positions,

what are our differences as leaders?

GS: Well, I mean for one thing,

we will have the advantage
of using all of human intelligence

instead of only a small portion of it;

this would be a good thing.

And we will also allow children

to see themselves as leaders universally,

instead of just one small group.

Because right now,
when kids look at leaders,

they don't necessarily see themselves.

PM: When we look at you,
we see a leader, Gloria,

and there are so many things
that you could point to with pride,

although I know you don't.

But what is it that motivates you

or keeps you on the path onward
in those moments of doubt,

or the times when things look bleak
or there are fears,

or do you ever fear,

ever feel those feelings?

GS: No, of course I fear,
I mean, definitely.

But as the slogan goes,

"Follow the fear and do it anyway.

Fear is a sign of growth."

(Laughs)

It's a good thing, right?

PM: Right.

GS: I'm so inspired by young women,

I mean, I keep feeling

as if I just had to wait
for some of my friends to be born.

And to see that this is profoundly

a global movement, as it always has been.

I mean, you know, even the response
to the march right after the inauguration

of the current president, in every --

Latin America, Africa, you know,
were marching together.

It really has become a global movement,

thanks in large part to technology,

because we can see each other,
as we are now,

and also just to the contagion
of the idea of freedom, you know.

If women spend nine months
being pregnant and caring for a child,

why isn't it that men are responsible

for spending that much more
than half the time

taking care of the child, hello?

(Laughs)

Logic is in the eye
of the logician, right?

(Laughs)

So you know, wherever you look,

there's just a discovery of freedom,
of common sense, of companionship.

PM: Is there,

of all the things in your life,

what has been the greatest source
of confidence building and inspiration?

Is it the global sisterhood
that you've built around the world?

GS: Well, it's just other women.

I mean, I would not
have been able to ever conquer

my fear of public speaking,

which is where we started out,

if it hadn't been for my fearless friend,

Dorothy Pitman Hughes,

you know, for doing it together.

So you know, it's learning
from each other,

and just remembering to ask, really,

because the help is there,

the inspiration is there,

the sense of community is there,

and I hope that technology
can help us in this way,

especially because for women,
that's important,

because we can communicate in safety.

But I do regret and worry
about the COVID emergency,

because we do also need to be together
with all five senses

in order to truly empathize.

So I look forward to the day

when you and I can once again
be in the same room.

PM: Well, you and I have been
in a lot of the same rooms,

and even when you're not
in the same room with women everywhere,

you have inspired them, Gloria.

And to see the full and total story,

well, at least part
of the full and total story,

the movie has been made
about Gloria's life.

It's called "The Glorias,"
based on her book "My Life on the Road,"

which is certainly the way
you've spent your life,

and it's available for livestreaming
on Amazon Prime

and I do highly recommend it.

Gloria, thank you for your work,

for your life,

for the fearless way
in which you have led us all forward,

and one last next step
for moving onward from you?

What advice or counsel?

GS: Ah.

Just do it.

(Laughs)

You know, I think we kind of wait
for instructions from up there,

or we worry or something,

and you know, if we just get up
in the morning and say,

"OK, I'm going to do this,

and I'm going to get in touch
with three or four other people,"

and just think of change
as a tree, you know --

it doesn't grow from the top down,

so we shouldn't be waiting
for somebody to tell us what to do.

It grows from the bottom up,

and we are the roots of change.

PM: We are bearing the roots
of your work, Gloria, with gratitude.

Thank you very much
for joining us for TEDWomen 2020.

GS: No, and thank you
for bringing women together,

which is the magic.

Thank you.