This is a preview of the first episode of Looking Back, Moving Forward, the latest podcast from Ms. Studios. The full first episode is out now—subscribe to Looking Back, Moving Forward wherever you get your podcasts, or head to MsMagazine.com to learn more!

What would a truly representative democracy look like — and why don’t we have one?

Looking Back, Moving Forward launches with a focus on women’s growing political power and how feminists can, and must, shape the future of government, policy, and lawmaking. 

Our democracy is under attack, and a more representative democracy is the answer. This week, Carmen explores how we can strengthen our democracy by lifting up women and other marginalized groups in politics, and why representation in politics and power matters so much. Featuring Celinda Lake, Aimee Allison, Angel Charley, Julie C. Suk, Cynthia Richie Terrell, and Jennifer M. Piscopo.

Since its founding, Ms. has named the difference women can make as voters and in the halls of political power — and demanded a more representative democracy. This episode traces the history of women’s fight for political representation and participation, including how Ms. has shifted the electoral and political landscape — and showcases how much work is left for a fully equitable democracy to take shape in the US.

Looking Back, Moving Forward is produced by Ms. Studios. Executive producers are Michele Goodwin and Kathy Spillar. Supervising Producer, Writer, and Host is Carmen Rios. Episode producers are Roxy Szal and Oliver Haug. Every episode is edited by Natalie Hadland. Art and design are by Brandi Phipps.

Stay in touch with Ms. at msmagazine.com and on Facebook @msmagazine, Instagram and Threads @ms_magazine, and @msmagazine.comon BlueSky.

Stay in touch with Carmen at carmenfuckingrios.com and @carmenriosss on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, BlueSky, and Threads.

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A new podcast from Ms. Studios, hosted by feminist superstar and Ms. consulting editor Carmen Rios, will trace the intertwined history of Ms. magazine and the feminist movement it has given voice to for over 50 years — and explore where the fight for gender equality must go next. 

By examining the legacy of America’s longest-running feminist magazine, Looking Back, Moving Forward explores how we got to where we are now — and how our shared histories illuminate the path forward, toward an intersectional feminist future.

Subscribe to Looking Back, Moving Forward today wherever you get podcasts so you won’t miss a second of the conversations and revelations to come! The first episode launches on the Fourth of July. 

Looking Back, Moving Forward is produced by Ms. Studios. Executive producers are Michele Goodwin and Kathy Spillar. Supervising Producer, Writer, and Host is Carmen Rios. Episode producers are Roxy Szal and Oliver Haug. Every episode is edited by Natalie Hadland. Art and design are by Brandi Phipps.

Stay in touch with Ms. at msmagazine.com and on Facebook and Twitter @msmagazine, Instagram and Threads @ms_magazine, and @msmagazine.com on BlueSky.

Stay in touch with Carmen at carmenfuckingrios.com and @carmenriosss on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, BlueSky, and Threads.

Support the show

Welcome to “The Magazine,” our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine’s forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Summer 2025 issue, which includes a special report on the state of American manhood—from the "bro-casts" and the silence around men's mental health, to the clinicians and scholars challenging toxic masculinity with a feminist lens. Get the magazine delivered right to your mailbox!

Joining us to discuss is our very special guest: 

• Kathy Spillar is the executive director and a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence, and the publisher of Ms. since 2001. She has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. She is also the executive editor of Ms. where she oversees editorial content and the Ms. in the Classroom program, and editor and contributor to 50 Years of Ms: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Happy Juneteenth! In this episode, we commemorate Juneteenth with a special focus on Henrietta Lacks, and an exclusive interview with her grandson Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr.  From the polio vaccine to IVF and COVID-19 vaccines, we owe so many of our medical developments from the past 50 years to one woman—a woman whose cells were taken and used without her permission, let alone compensation. In this riveting episode, Lacks Carter shares an intimate family portrait of his grandmother, turning pain into purpose.    

Joining us in this Juneteenth commemoration is a very special guest: 

Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr.: Alfred Lacks Carter, Jr. is the grandson of Henrietta Lacks and the son of her second daughter Deborah Lacks. Alfred is the Founder and President of the Henrietta Lacks House of Healing, a non-profit dedicated to providing transitional housing for men in order to combat homelessness and recidivism as well as re-entry into the community after recent release. He also serves as Senior Advisor to the Lacks family-led HELA100: Henrietta Lacks Initiative, and as a World Health Organization Goodwill Ambassador for Cervical Cancer Elimination.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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In this emergency episode, we're ringing the alarm bells: We just learned that in the state of Georgia, a woman named Adriana Smith who was declared brain-dead in February, is being forcibly kept on a ventilator due to the state’s strict abortion ban, against her family's wishes. It's been over 90 days. Her mother, April Newkirk has said, “It’s torture for me."

Dr. Michele Goodwin breaks down Adriana Smith's case, and the cases of other women who, like Smith, have been disrespected and desecrated in death thanks to abortion bans and pregnancy exclusion laws. 

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Over the past few years, many of us have noticed some (bad) vibes coming from the Supreme Court: sketchy decisions on a number of fronts, from presidential immunity to abortion, agency authority, and more. Today, we take a look at those vibes with one of our favorite guests: Professor Leah Litman, who is the author of the new book Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Professor Litman joins us to talk about the Court’s “Ken-surrection,” what another Trump term means for the Court, and her fabulous new book. 

Joining us is our very special guest: 

Leah Litman: Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches and writes on constitutional law, federal post-conviction review and federal sentencing. She is the co-founder of “Women Also Know Law”—a searchable database of women and nonbinary people who have academic appointments in law—and is one of the co-hosts and creators of the popular Strict Scrutiny podcast, which focuses on the Supreme Court.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Despite persistent obstacles—from intergenerational pay inequity and earning just 63.7 cents for every dollar made by a white guy for the same work, to constant surveillance and doubt—Black women consistently excel in their chosen fields and rise to leadership positions. In this episode, we’re joined by powerful Black women in leadership to discuss the glass ceilings, glass cliffs, pink ghettos, and other obstacles they’ve faced—and the strategies they’ve used to triumph against the odds.

Joining me to discuss these crucial issues are our very special guests: 

Verna Williams: Verna Williams is the CEO of Equal Justice Works. In her role as CEO, Verna has continued to advance the mission of Equal Justice Works to create opportunities for leaders to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. Verna previously served as the dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and founded and co-directed the Judge Nathaniel Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice at the University of Cincinnati. She was also the vice president and director of educational opportunities at the National Women’s Law Center, where she focused on gender disparity in education.

Lynell Cadray: Lynell Cadray is University Ombuds and Senior Adviser to the President at Emory University. Since arriving at Emory in 1994, Cadray has served in numerous roles, including vice provost of equity and inclusion; associate dean of enrollment and student services and chief diversity officer at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing; and dean of admission and financial aid and chief diversity officer at Emory University School of Law. 

Dr. Rachel Westerfield: Dr. Rachel Westerfield is the Director of Solution Design at Slack. Dr. Westerfield’s Professional Services team is responsible for driving digital growth and large-scale, enterprise-wide transformation for Slack’s most complex and strategic customers across industries on a global scale. Before joining Slack in 2019, she was a Strategy and Business Process Transformation leader at Accenture and a Management Consultant in Organizational Leadership and Development at Nestle Purina.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Welcome to The Magazine, our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine's forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Spring 2025 issue—which delves into the story behind anti-abortion extremists’ successful attempt to shut down a Beverly Hills clinic. Get the Spring issue here!

Featuring: 

• Kathy Spillar is the Executive Director and a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence. She has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. She is also the Executive Editor of Ms. where she oversees editorial content and the Ms. in the Classroom program, and the editor and contributor to 50 Years of Ms: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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This week, we’re joined by Yamani Hernandez, the chief executive officer of the Groundswell Fund, to discuss the importance of grassroots organizing and reproductive justice in this moment. Ms. has joined forces with Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund to create a special Gender & Democracy site dedicated to the work of Groundswell partners to highlight their efforts to champion inclusive democracy. You’ll hear their reflections and learn about the accomplishments of grassroots and local leaders, women of color, Indigenous women, and trans and gender-expansive people whose organizing and work is supported by Groundswell.

Joining us to discuss these issues is our very special guest: 

Yamani Hernandez is the chief executive officer of the Groundswell Fund. She has been working in the nonprofit space since she was 16 years old and doing that at the neighborhood level, city level, national and international levels. This has led her to the Groundwell Fund, which has funded nearly 200 million dollars for grassroots, organizing for reproductive and gender justice led by women and gender expansive people of color.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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As we reckon with an administration hostile to equal rights, feminists will continue to fight. To help keep hope, we must remember and celebrate recent wins.
 
One of those wins is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect on June 27, 2023. This is a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination and ensures workplace accommodations related to pregnancy for workers. But is the PWFA safe, or will it be threatened by the Trump Administration’s crusade against reproductive rights and justice?

Joining us to discuss the history and significance of the PWFA is our very special guest, 

Dina Bakst: Dina Bakst is the co-founder and former co-president of A Better Balance, a national nonprofit legal advocacy organization that uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers. Bakst was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for the Economy for A Better Balance’s successful work advancing work-family justice in 2021, and the first-ever Visionary Women Award for Women’s Economic Empowerment in 2022.  In 2020, she was named one of “16 People and Groups Fighting For a More Equal America” by Time Magazine. Prior to co-founding A Better Balance, Dina was an attorney with the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund (now Legal Momentum) where she pursued litigation and policy advocacy on a wide range of women’s rights issues.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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