The world lost Gloria Steinem on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The pioneering feminist, journalist and human rights activist died peacefully at her home in New York at age 92. Over the decades, Steinem made several stops in St. Louis, in the early 1970s, late 1980s and early 2000s. Her final visit came in 2012, when Washington University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.
“Decisions are best made by the people affected by them.”
Gloria Steinem, My Life on the Road
As a guest of another honoree – my father, Donald M. Suggs, retired oral surgeon and publisher of The St. Louis American – I had the opportunity to meet her. Other honorees included Richard Mahoney, retired chair and CEO of Monsanto; C. Ronald Kahn, MD, president and director of the Joslin Diabetes Center; and David Becker, JD, professor emeritus and associate dean for external relations at Washington University’s School of Law. During the reception and dinner following the ceremony, Steinem gravitated toward my family, the only African Americans in the group.
What I remember most is how unpretentious and easy to talk to she was. She didn’t miss a beat intellectually. Even in her late 70s, she looked exactly as she did in the photos: stylish, wearing pants, and sporting her signature long brown hair with lighter highlights in front.
She seemed most comfortable speaking with my sister Dina and me, the only two Black women at the reception. We were surprised she wasn’t focused on the dignitaries in the room. Her openness stood out in a city where people often make assumptions based on race, class, gender, sexuality and, of course, where you went to high school. She asked about St. Louis, about local human rights work, and about how people were organizing. While glasses clinked and hors d’oeuvres circulated, she admitted her discomfort sharing a stage with Mahoney, given Monsanto’s role in the spread of genetically modified foods and their impact on farmers and global agricultural economies.
Her mind was clearly at work in the wood‑paneled halls of Washington University. She was tracking the implications of GMOs in the U.S. and abroad, including the erosion of traditional farming practices and increased dependency on Western nations. She asked what I thought. I was struck by her candor and humility. She seemed willing to be challenged. I sympathized with her struggle over accepting an award alongside someone whose work she viewed as harmful. The debate over GMOs and pesticides remains contested globally and legislatively here in Missouri.
Steinem told Time magazine, “I believe that things are a circle, not a hierarchy … The kind of society we are striving toward is one in which things are linked, not ranked. And one in which we understand that the women’s movement and the anti‑racist movement and the gay movement and the environmentalist movement — they’re all linked.”
In addition to co‑founding Ms. Magazine in 1972 and the National Women’s Political Caucus in 1971 with Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and Bella Abzug, Steinem built a global record of activism. She was arrested protesting apartheid in South Africa. Steinem spoke out against domestic violence, child abuse and female genital mutilation. She helped launch Equality Now in 1992 to fight violence and discrimination against women and girls. She was also an early supporter of lesbian, gay and bisexual rights, and later transgender rights.
Steinem championed Shirley Chisholm’s historic run for president and supported Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid decades later. Black feminist thinkers such as bell hooks praised her anti‑racist commitments. Leaders like Rep. Barbara Lee spoke openly about the value of her mentorship.
Steinem and I exchanged correspondence after she left St. Louis. At the time, I didn’t fully understand why. I wasn’t living in St. Louis or New York, and I hadn’t interviewed her. She wrote that she enjoyed meeting me and had continued researching GMOs. She wanted to follow up on her comments, be accountable and perhaps ease any awkwardness from our conversation at WashU, which I assured her wasn’t necessary. In letters, she exhibited the same integrity she was known for publicly. Through our interactions, she showed me a woman practicing her values. She wasn’t doing so for the sake of cameras, microphones or an audience. It was the heartfelt gesture as a person committed to truth.
Her final memoir, An Unexpected Life, is set to be released on Sept. 22, 2026.