Without her, none of us would have been there—not any of the journalists, movement leaders, nor the nearly 500,000 people who gathered in Washington that day. Steinem was an architect and one of the faces of the modern women’s movement, and her decades of work made it possible for women to fight for their rights, loudly and on their own terms.

We learned this morning that Steinem died yesterday at 92 years old. She was surrounded by people who loved her at her longtime home in Manhattan, her foundation said on social media. And there are millions more around the world who will be offering their own outpourings of love and admiration in the days to come.

Her influence extended to every realm of women’s lives. She made women more powerful and visible across society. She made it possible for women to pursue ambitious, dignified careers, advocating for (and providing) common-sense accommodations like on-site child care. Her work led to greater equality between spouses at home. She was a journalist, the founder and editor of Ms. Magazine, who changed how women were viewed in media and popular culture. She was funny, always ready with a quippy comment. And, perhaps most importantly, she helped so many women develop their own sense of internal self-worth. As the New York Times wrote in her obituary: she “believed fiercely that women should be able to live whatever life they chose.”

In recent years, Steinem had expanded her community in New York, hosting a steady stream of gatherings of women in her living room. These are her famed “Talking Circles,” a format where women come together to discuss an important issue without hierarchy. Steinem brought together women to discuss issues ranging from her go-tos—things like child care and abortion rights—to ones new to her, like the impact of AI. We at Fortune Most Powerful Women were lucky enough to co-host a talking circle with her on that last topic earlier this year. The room was filled with some of the most powerful tech execs in the U.S., from companies like Meta and Microsoft. And yet everyone is equal in front of Steinem; her presence brought out a kind of reflection and collaboration that doesn’t always accompany these kinds of conversations.

Throughout her life, Steinem was eager to learn. I also attended a talking circle last fall that Steinem hosted for girls from ages 9 to 18. She treated that conversation with as much seriousness as she did one about the future of technology. While girls were eager to ask her questions about leadership and dealing with doubters, she wanted to know more about their lives.

This newsletter follows in the footsteps of what she created with Ms. magazine, which was the first glossy national periodical to be created, owned and run entirely by women, per the NYT. It covered stories that weren’t being covered anywhere else in mainstream media—abortion, domestic violence, sexual harassment, the battle for equal pay. Every day, it’s my honor to try to live up to that legacy in a small way.

Without Steinem, none of us would be here—writing a newsletter about women’s leadership, or at our desks at work, reading one.

Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com

The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Subscribe here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

Goodles just got bought by Barilla. The pasta-maker didn't disclose terms of the deal to buy the healthier mac-and-cheese brand. Goodles debuted in 2021 and had Gal Gadot as a cofounder at the time but she hasn't been mentioned recently by the brand. CEO Jen Zeszut says Goodles is expanding the mac and cheese market—and according to the WSJ it's gained 7.8% of U.S. market share, up from 0.8% in 2023. 

Spain is paying for its women's soccer players to freeze their eggs. "The federation understands that you are serving your country against your biological clock, that you cannot stop and cannot be a mother because you need your body to work," says the national team's ex-captain Alexia Putellas. 

You can finally watch Ask E. Jean. The documentary about E. Jean Carroll (featuring her onstage interview with me at Fortune) scared off streamers, likely fearful of Trump administration retaliation, even as it sold out movie theaters. Five different companies have now joined together to distribute the doc over video on demand. 

Leon Black is suing over his Epstein testimony. The billionaire Apollo Global Management cofounder is arguing that the House Oversight Committee has overstepped its authority; he's refusing to return to testify after walking out on his first hearing in June. Lawmakers on the committee are saying he could be held in contempt. 

ON MY RADAR

How Olivia Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Festival made history Rolling Stone

Inside the perimenopause industrial complex Wired

Meta is banning beauty filters for teens. Will it actually work? Allure

PARTING WORDS

"It will never cease to amaze me that I had the chance to know you. But despite your towering stature, your thousands of obligations, the urgency of your mission, you gave so many women the chance to know you."

— Lena Dunham, in her tribute to Gloria Steinem