![](\"https:\/\/www.rutgers.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/lg_roaxane_gay_hero.jpg\")
<\/div>\nEvent launches Gay\u2019s service as Rutgers\u2019 Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\nNew York Times<\/em> bestselling author and cultural critic Roxane Gay tackled many pressing issues in the news centered around civil rights, reproductive rights and social justice during a wide-ranging conversation with feminist icon Gloria Steinem in her first event as a member of the Rutgers faculty.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe discussion between two of the country\u2019s most prominent modern feminist figures served as the launch of Gay\u2019s three-year service as the university\u2019s Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies<\/span><\/a>. The Nebraska native will teach, organize public events for the Rutgers community and lead workshops to explore writing on cultural criticism, trauma, creating change and writing across differences. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nTheir talk covered the media\u2019s complicated role, modern feminism, <\/span><\/span>cultural shifts and radical change following major U.S. <\/span><\/span>Supreme Court decisions including the recent ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade<\/em><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Gay and Steinem spoke of the intersections and importance of writing, journalism and media and their impact on democracy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFeminist activist and writer Jamia Wilson moderated the dialogue, which drew an exuberant audience of more than 250 students, faculty and staff.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cWe’ve been talking about feminism and doing the work of feminism for decades,\u201d said Gay, <\/span><\/span>a writer, professor, editor and New York Times<\/em> contributing opinion writer<\/span><\/span>. \u201cBut it cannot only be feminists who bear this responsibility when it’s a cultural problem to address.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nShe added that the media can influence progress in feminism or lack thereof, noting news coverage <\/span><\/span>after the death in custody of a <\/span><\/span><\/span>22-year-old<\/span><\/span><\/span> Iranian woman detained for breaking hijab laws.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt\u2019s why we are currently having these conversations about trans equality, women’s bodies and our right to be unlegislated,\u201d Gay said. \u201cIt’s rarely the most necessary conversation [on TV].\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nSteinem has devoted more than five decades to advancing women\u2019s and human rights globally. In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the United States bestows on a citizen who is not in the military.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cEach group of us and each individual has something special and unique to bring to the conversation on reproductive freedom and reproductive justice,\u201d Steinem said. \u201cAll of us will have a more global view and accurate, minute view of what is happening around us, and it will be very useful in helping us understand history in a way that we have not yet.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nOn reproductive rights, Gay said: \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot to be optimistic about but I am deeply encouraged by the number of people who said overturning Roe v. Wade<\/em> went too far. It’s good to know that exists for people, especially women in conservative states like Kansas. I think we will see interesting results in November and some unexpected results.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe endowed position came at a moment when Gay felt ready to leave academia behind in pursuit of other opportunities. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\u201cI thought this time in my life was done, but it is an honor to make Rutgers my last academic home,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nChancellor-Provost Francine Conway of Rutgers\u00ad-<\/span>New Brunswick noted that the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair exists \u201cto immerse our university community in debate and scholarship\u201d and called Gay\u2019s adept thinking \u201cwhat our moment in history needs.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nRutgers President Jonathan Holloway added: \u201cLearning from Roxane Gay will be a transformative experience for our students.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nGay is the author of several books, including Ayiti<\/span><\/em>, An Untamed State;<\/span><\/em> The New York Times <\/span><\/em>bestselling Bad Feminist<\/span><\/em>, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women<\/span><\/em> and The New York Times<\/span><\/em> bestselling Hunger. <\/span><\/em>Her writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014<\/span><\/em>, Best American Short Stories 2012<\/span><\/em>, Best Sex Writing 2012<\/span><\/em>, A Public Space,<\/span><\/em> McSweeney\u2019s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction and Virginia Quarterly Review<\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nShe holds a doctorate degree in rhetoric and technical communication from Michigan Technological University and has years of experience teaching creative, professional and technical writing at higher education institutions. In 2019, Gay was a presidential fellow in the Women and Gender Studies Department at Yale University, teaching a course on writing trauma. Gay also has taught at Occidental College, Michigan Technological University, Florida Atlantic University, Eastern Illinois University and Purdue University, where she received tenure.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair represents a collaboration between Rutgers-New Brunswick\u2019s School of Communication and Information<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Institute for Women\u2019s Leadership<\/span><\/a><\/span> and Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies<\/a> in the School of Arts and Sciences<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nFunded by more than 425 donors, including a dozen foundations, the Steinem chair endowment was established to serve as a tribute to the groundbreaking leadership of Steinem. It was created to honor, retain and recruit eminent scholars and practitioners who will help immerse the university community in debate and scholarship about new media, social change and power structures. The chair launched in September 2018 with Naomi Klein serving as the inaugural occupant.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
The discussion between two of the country\u2019s most prominent modern feminist figures served as the launch of Gay\u2019s three-year service as the university\u2019s Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies<\/span><\/a>. The Nebraska native will teach, organize public events for the Rutgers community and lead workshops to explore writing on cultural criticism, trauma, creating change and writing across differences. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Their talk covered the media\u2019s complicated role, modern feminism, <\/span><\/span>cultural shifts and radical change following major U.S. <\/span><\/span>Supreme Court decisions including the recent ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade<\/em><\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/span>Gay and Steinem spoke of the intersections and importance of writing, journalism and media and their impact on democracy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Feminist activist and writer Jamia Wilson moderated the dialogue, which drew an exuberant audience of more than 250 students, faculty and staff.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe’ve been talking about feminism and doing the work of feminism for decades,\u201d said Gay, <\/span><\/span>a writer, professor, editor and New York Times<\/em> contributing opinion writer<\/span><\/span>. \u201cBut it cannot only be feminists who bear this responsibility when it’s a cultural problem to address.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n She added that the media can influence progress in feminism or lack thereof, noting news coverage <\/span><\/span>after the death in custody of a <\/span><\/span><\/span>22-year-old<\/span><\/span><\/span> Iranian woman detained for breaking hijab laws.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s why we are currently having these conversations about trans equality, women’s bodies and our right to be unlegislated,\u201d Gay said. \u201cIt’s rarely the most necessary conversation [on TV].\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Steinem has devoted more than five decades to advancing women\u2019s and human rights globally. In 2013, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor the United States bestows on a citizen who is not in the military.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cEach group of us and each individual has something special and unique to bring to the conversation on reproductive freedom and reproductive justice,\u201d Steinem said. \u201cAll of us will have a more global view and accurate, minute view of what is happening around us, and it will be very useful in helping us understand history in a way that we have not yet.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n On reproductive rights, Gay said: \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot to be optimistic about but I am deeply encouraged by the number of people who said overturning Roe v. Wade<\/em> went too far. It’s good to know that exists for people, especially women in conservative states like Kansas. I think we will see interesting results in November and some unexpected results.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The endowed position came at a moment when Gay felt ready to leave academia behind in pursuit of other opportunities. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI thought this time in my life was done, but it is an honor to make Rutgers my last academic home,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway of Rutgers\u00ad-<\/span>New Brunswick noted that the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair exists \u201cto immerse our university community in debate and scholarship\u201d and called Gay\u2019s adept thinking \u201cwhat our moment in history needs.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway added: \u201cLearning from Roxane Gay will be a transformative experience for our students.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Gay is the author of several books, including Ayiti<\/span><\/em>, An Untamed State;<\/span><\/em> The New York Times <\/span><\/em>bestselling Bad Feminist<\/span><\/em>, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women<\/span><\/em> and The New York Times<\/span><\/em> bestselling Hunger. <\/span><\/em>Her writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014<\/span><\/em>, Best American Short Stories 2012<\/span><\/em>, Best Sex Writing 2012<\/span><\/em>, A Public Space,<\/span><\/em> McSweeney\u2019s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction and Virginia Quarterly Review<\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n She holds a doctorate degree in rhetoric and technical communication from Michigan Technological University and has years of experience teaching creative, professional and technical writing at higher education institutions. In 2019, Gay was a presidential fellow in the Women and Gender Studies Department at Yale University, teaching a course on writing trauma. Gay also has taught at Occidental College, Michigan Technological University, Florida Atlantic University, Eastern Illinois University and Purdue University, where she received tenure.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair represents a collaboration between Rutgers-New Brunswick\u2019s School of Communication and Information<\/span><\/a><\/span>, Institute for Women\u2019s Leadership<\/span><\/a><\/span> and Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies<\/a> in the School of Arts and Sciences<\/span><\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Funded by more than 425 donors, including a dozen foundations, the Steinem chair endowment was established to serve as a tribute to the groundbreaking leadership of Steinem. It was created to honor, retain and recruit eminent scholars and practitioners who will help immerse the university community in debate and scholarship about new media, social change and power structures. The chair launched in September 2018 with Naomi Klein serving as the inaugural occupant.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n