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Famed feminist Gloria Steinem poses with bust of Rosa Parks before receiving the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award, given by the Center and Troy State University Montgomery.
(Valerie Downes) |
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MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- On the eve of war with Iraq, with years of activism behind her, feminist icon Gloria Steinem had these words for frustrated, angry and discouraged peace activists: "Never give up."
Those three words are nothing new to Steinem, who was here on March 18 to receive the second Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award.
"Never, never, never give up," she said. "There's a great deal we can do."
The March honor was a tribute to Steinem's long career of proving just how much one person can do. That's a trait she shares with Rosa Parks, and one of the reasons she was chosen for the honor. Last year's Woman of Courage honoree was poet and college professor Nikki Giovanni. The award is presented by the Southern Poverty Law Center and Troy State University Montgomery (TSUM) as part of their Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Lecture Series.
About 300 people came to hear Steinem speak at the Davis Theater for the Performing Arts. Earlier in the evening, Steinem fielded questions from the press and attended a reception in her honor at the Exhibit Hall in the Rosa Parks Museum on the TSUM campus.
"Thank you for bringing Gloria Steinem to Montgomery for your lecture series," wrote Amy Worthy of Troy, Alabama, the day after the event. "As a 23-year-old woman, I am truly grateful for her contributions to the women's movement. I thoroughly enjoyed her lecture, and I am so thankful that the Center and TSUM had the wisdom and insight to honor such an extraordinary woman. Keep up the good work!"
Steinem, 69, is best known as the co-founder of Ms. Magazine 30 years ago. A writer, activist and speaker, she remains one of the leading feminist leaders in the world. In accepting the award, she said it was an honor "just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rosa Parks."
Steinem spoke of the difficulty of sustained activism, urging peace activists not to give up, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. She also spoke of first-step activism, of choosing to speak up, or speak out, for the very first time, even if it feels uncomfortable.
"However hard that is, it's harder not to do it, not to speak out," she said. Harder because then we live with the "what-ifs" of our inaction.
"We do it because we care," she said of activism. "We think we might have an idea that can help," she said. She urged everyone to adopt such a mindset, to "help make the next day better for us and for those around us."
"Everything we do matters," Steinem said. "We each have enormous power."
SPLC Report
June 2003
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