Feminist activist, journalist and writer Gloria Steinem‘s influence on Maryland politics ran deeper than her broad national profile, local activists and lawmakers said Thursday.
Steinem, who died Wednesday in her New York home at 92, campaigned enthusiastically for Democratic U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski and held intimate living-room talking circles with Maryland feminist activists about the unfinished fight for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Steinem visited Baltimore in early 2018, when she spoke at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall as part of the Baltimore Speaker Series. Throughout her career, she spoke at rallies in nearby Washington, D.C., and inspired generations of Maryland activists and elected officials.
Perhaps the greatest influence Steinem had on Maryland politics came from her close relationship with Mikulski, who had a 40-year career in public office, rising from her role as a Baltimore social worker to become one of the longest-serving female senators in U.S. history.
The only woman who served longer in the Senate was the late Dianne Feinstein, of California.
After retiring from Congress in 2017, Mikulski began teaching public policy at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Read the full article on The Baltimore Sun’s website.
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