Sisterhood is Global is deeply saddened to lose its founder and President, Robin Morgan, who passed away on September 5th. A great poet, writer, thinker, and organizer, Robin changed the consciousness of countless American women with the publication of her anthology Sisterhood is Powerful in 1970. The publication of her subsequent anthology Sisterhood is Global led to the creation of the Sisterhood is Global Institute (SIGI) in 1984 by Robin together with Simone de Beauvoir and women from 80 countries. 

Envisioned as a feminist think tank, SIGI also pledged “visionary yet pragmatic action in support of women’s rights.” SIGI pioneered many initiatives including an early study of agriculture and the economics of unpaid labor, the publication for Muslim women of handbooks on women’s rights and Islam, and most recently a focus on the dearth of urgently needed resources for frontline groups in the global women’s movement. Since its inception, the Frontline Women’s Fund of SIGI has raised and regranted more than $13 million to such groups in 30 countries, through five funds: The Efua Dorkenoo Fund to End Female Genital Mutilation, the Fund to End Gender Based Violence, the Fund for Women, Peace and Security, the Gloria Steinem Equality Fund to End Sex Trafficking, and the Jane Fonda Gender and Climate Justice Fund.

Just today, we received an email from our FGM Fund partner in Guinea acknowledging a small grant. She wrote:

Beyond the financial support, this renewed trust in our work means so much to us. It is a powerful encouragement to continue the work we have been carrying out with women and girls in Guinea, particularly in our efforts to end FGM, protect girls, support survivors, and create lasting change within our communities.

This was Robin Morgan’s vision and hope for the global women’s movement. Robin served as President of the Sisterhood is Global Institute since its creation in 1984. Longtime board members include Elizabeth Evatt, Jane Fonda, Lynn Nottage, Navi Pillay and the late Gloria Steinem. Robin was a fierce advocate who brought creativity, vision, brilliance and humor to all that she did. Robin was loved around the world. She will be greatly missed and forever remembered as a trailblazer in the global women’s movement. We will carry Robin’s spirit and dedication forward and build on her monumental work for women around the world.

From some SIGI board members:

Lynn Nottage: Robin Morgan’s passion, brilliance and singular vision were a beacon for generations of women fighting for equality across the globe.  We have lost a warrior and beautiful sister.

Jane Fonda: Imagine my surprise and delight a few years ago in learning that the esteemed House of Dior was honoring Robin Morgan with a specially created T-shirt series honoring Robin’s feminist Sisterhood anthology and its global impact. The small but mighty activist and literary force was being celebrated by the first woman creative director of Dior women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri. What a beautiful and meaningful act showing the power of combining art and activism. Women around the world are moving forward with help from the Sisterhood is Global Institute, thanks to Robin’s vision.

Meaza Ashenafi (former Chief Justice of Ethiopia and Founder of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers Association): Robin Morgan understood, long before the language of global feminism became widely embraced, that while women’s experiences differ across cultures, countries and circumstances, the forces of discrimination, inequality and patriarchy transcend borders. She understood that our response therefore had to be equally global—a shared vision, a common strategy, and strong networks of solidarity capable of turning individual struggles into collective power. Through Sisterhood Is Global, she helped give that conviction a name, a platform and a movement, connecting women across continents and generations in the pursuit of equality, dignity and empowerment. This is an especially painful moment for the global women’s movement. the responsibility for carrying this vision forward rests with all of us. The greatest tribute we can offer them is not only to remember what they achieved, but to continue the unfinished work to which they devoted their lives—with courage, solidarity and an unwavering belief that the freedom of women everywhere is inseparable from the freedom of women anywhere.

Navi Pillay (former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights): Robin Morgan played a key role in inspiring us under apartheid, to assert our rights.  We understood, thanks to her, that our struggle was not just against racism but against sexism and all forms of discrimination. Her contribution to the global women’s movement through her words and through the Sisterhood is Global Institute will continue to advance women’s rights around the world.

Jessica Neuwirth (founder of the Frontline Women’s Fund): Robin Morgan was bold and fearless, and she was brilliant. Her commitment to women’s freedom and equality was an inspiration to countless women here in the United States and around the world. She will forever live in our hearts and minds, and we will carry her legacy forward as she would have wanted.

In Solidarity,

Jessica Neuwirth

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