Robin Morgan, a prominent poet, novelist, and political theorist who played a foundational role in second-wave feminism, passed away at age 85. Her decades-long career spanned activism, publishing, and media, establishing her as one of the most influential feminist voices of her generation.
Morgan’s activist work began in the 1960s when she co-founded New York Radical Women in 1967 and the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell (Witch) the following year. These organizations utilized street theatre and direct action to challenge cultural sexism. In 1968, she helped organize a protest against the Miss America pageant that included the disposal of bras, girdles, and cleaning equipment into a “Freedom Trash Can”—an event that became associated with the term “bra burners,” though the items were not actually burned. Her editorial work proved equally significant; she edited the 1970 anthology Sisterhood Is Powerful, now regarded as a foundational text of second-wave feminism, and used its royalties to establish the Sisterhood Is Powerful Fund supporting women’s organizations.
Morgan distinguished herself as an early critic of misogyny within leftist movements. Her 1970 essay Goodbye to All That, published in a leftist newsletter, condemned both the “sexual revolution” and male radicals who denied women political voice while expecting them to perform support roles. She authored 22 books total, including three influential anthologies, and crafted memorable feminist phrases that endured across decades. Her tagline “Porn is the theory; rape is the practice” captured her lifelong opposition to pornography, while her coinage “herstory” offered a framework for female-centered historical narratives.
From 1976, Morgan served as a contributing editor to Ms. magazine and later as editor in chief from 1989 until 1994. She co-founded the Women’s Media Center in 2005 alongside Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda, aiming to improve women’s representation in media. Her 2008 essay Goodbye to All That #2, addressing misogyny directed at Hillary Clinton, gained widespread attention after being shared by Clinton’s daughter. She maintained her commitment to women’s rights through various channels, including a weekly radio program and her work with the Sisterhood Is Global Institute, a feminist think tank established in 1984.
Morgan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010. Her final poetry collection, Dark Matters, published in 2018, addressed themes of aging, mortality, and resilience. Throughout her life, she remained committed to mentoring younger activists and advancing feminist scholarship and activism globally.
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