The publication is reproduced in full below:
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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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 166(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 166(2)
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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