Norton Statement on the Passing of Her Friend Gloria Steinem

September 3, 2026 Press Release “We must carry Gloria's example forward the only way she would have wanted: by refusing to accept less than full equality for women, and by getting back to work." WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) released the following statement on the death of Gloria Steinem, the pioneering feminist writer and organizer, who Norton knew as a friend and fellow activist for more than 50 years. "Gloria and I first met when we were organizing what came to be the modern women's political movement. We co-founded the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 with the goal of electing more women to serve in office and collaborated many times over our more than 50 years of friendship to advance the cause of gender equality. In the decades since, from my work at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission through more than three decades in Congress, Gloria remained a steady presence and a trusted friend, someone I could always turn to for wisdom about which fights were worth having and how to win them. We shared an unflagging optimism and determination to make the future better for our daughters. "In 2013 I received the 'Gloria Award' from the Ms. Foundation, named after Ms. Magazine, which Gloria founded and I regularly contributed to. I said then that an award named after my friend should come with a receipt attached saying 'Keep on earning it.' "Gloria's work may be finished, but there is still much to do. We find ourselves again with men in power who would prefer that women limit ourselves to the role defined by our differentiating reproductive capabilities rather than the full potential of our minds. The gender pay gap has narrowed, but it persists. We must carry Gloria's example forward the only way she would have wanted: by refusing to accept less than full equality for women, and by getting back to work." Norton and Steinem first worked together in New York in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and their collaboration continued for more than five decades across the founding of key feminist institutions, Norton's tenure at the EEOC, and her service in Congress representing the District of Columbia. ###