Reflecting on the Past 40 Years: Edit Letter and TOC

I appreciate the coincidence that the Minnesota Women’s Press anniversary is the same day as my birthday. I had recently embarked on my publishing career in New York City when Mollie Hoben and Glenda Martin were forming plans with Twin Cities allies that led to 40,000 copies of the first issue rolling out on April 16, 1985.

This special commemorative issue is a testament to the intergenerational legacy of the voices, issues, and movements that have fueled the unique content of not only the state, but Minnesota Women’s Press for 40 years — making ours the longest continuously run feminist print publication in the U.S.

The stories in this issue are designed to help us remember some of the issues Minnesotans have been talking about and acting on for generations — while inspiring us as we rise to the challenges of today.

Some of the reflections come from storytellers who were first featured in Minnesota Women’s Press decades ago: Winona LaDuke, Greta Gaard, Ember Reichgott Junge, LaJune Lange. Nancy Lyons comments on the 2003 words of Ann DeGroot, then with Outfront. Gender-based violence advocate Chris Brazelton entwines her past with her present.

In 2018, we hosted an event that featured former Senator Patricia Torres Ray and activist Nekima Levy Armstrong talking together about the need to be less siloed in our individual issues and identities. They said we need to spend more time gathered in solidarity to support each other’s needs if we are to be effective. They both share a renewed message of solidarity in this issue.

At our special 40th anniversary celebration (womenspress.com/MWP-40-years-celebration), we will hear from powerful voices to inspire us from the present to the future. One of those voices will be Minnesota Women’s Press cofounder Mollie Hoben. For our 35th anniversary book, she and cofounder Glenda Martin wrote that women’s voices have been silenced in countless ways. “We wanted to play a role in helping to break those silences.”

They shared these lessons:

If we want or need something we aren’t finding, we can create it ourselves.
People who work together with a shared vision are powerful.
We have a responsibility to speak up and speak out, and to share our beliefs and dreams.

In the 35th anniversary book, previous long-time copublishers Kathy Magnuson and Norma Smith Olson wrote: “Much has changed in 35 years — and much has not. The power of story remains strong. … It is the heartfelt sharing of passions, challenges, fears, dreams, desires, and joys. When we truly listen and hear someone’s story, we understand them better, we see and know them differently, and we are changed in the process.”

Enjoy this special commemorative issue.

Additional stories this month:

Tapestry of voices on People Power, Indigenous leadership, queer culture, historical trends, and more
Action steps that keep giving, including the long-time women’s prison book project and food shelf needs
The story of Minnesota suffragist Clara Ueland, and a local talk by New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern

“When we dreamed of creating a Minnesota-based women’s newspaper, we were driven by our recognition that the world badly needed the perspectives and wisdom of women.”

— Mollie Hoben and Glenda Martin

Gender-Based Violence — My Path to a New Life

Art of Living — A Tribute to My Mother (Betty LaDuke)

Ecolution — Ecofeminism, Then to Now

LGBTQ+ — How We Counter the Anti

Politics — Progress and Pain in Politics

Justice — Reflecting on Decades of Justice Work

Perspective — Con Nuestra Familia No Te Metas!

Equity — Consumer Choices Spur Change

Thoughts — Thinking About Past Covers

Home — A Renovation Team Empowers

Tapestry — Voices on Feminist Legacy