Gloria Steinem to Receive Medal of Freedom After Marymount Manhattan College Hosts Conference Honoring Women’s Rights Icon

President Obama will bestow the nation’s highest civilian honor upon Steinem, along with Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfey and 13 others who have made outstanding contributions to American life, at a ceremony later this year at the Kennedy Center.

A statement from SMCR read, “There are few others who have done as much as Ms. Steinem to advance the cause of women’s rights including reproductive health care, education, employment, political involvement, and, of course, reducing the stigmas that surround the menstrual cycle.”

Marymount Manhattan College’s co-hosting of the conference and Ms. Steinem’s appearance is consistent with the College’s long history of focus on women’s rights and advancement, a key element in its mission since its founding over 75 years ago. The SMCR conference was co-coordinated by Marymount Manhattan Professor Emeritus David Linton and was run by a logistics team consisting of both alumni and current students including Danielle Berarducci ‘04, Kelly Renn ‘06, Saniya Ghanoui ‘07, Linda Eder ‘09 and students Sarah Peterson, Ramshah Kanwal, & Julia Materasso. Video of the award presentation and Steinem’s speech was shot and edited by Carly Schneider ’12, and can be viewed below:

Published: August 14, 2013