From Child Star to Pioneer of the Women’s Movement: Robin Morgan Dies at 85

Robin Morgan began as a child star and ended her life as one of the most forceful challengers of established social values. The poet, editor and feminist activist died at 85 in a New York hospital after her health worsened in recent weeks, her son Blake Morgan said.

Morgan stood at the center of the second-generation feminist movement, which built on the gains of the women’s suffrage campaign before World War II. In 1968, she helped organize the first protest against the Miss America pageant. The demonstration became associated with the symbolic throwing of bras into a “Freedom Trash Can,” and Morgan later edited “Sisterhood Is Powerful,” published in 1970 and regarded as a classic of the modern women’s movement.

Her activism also shaped the language and imagery of feminism. Morgan coined “herstory” to emphasize that history includes women’s history, not only men’s. She popularized a women’s liberation symbol that combined the female symbol with a raised fist representing struggle and solidarity. She helped found feminist groups including New York Radical Women and W.I.T.C.H., the Women’s International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell.

Morgan left the left-wing Youth International Party after becoming disillusioned with its treatment of women. Her activism against established power, whether on the left or the right, brought government labeling as an “anarchist housewife,” as well as arrests and detention. She also rejected efforts to impose a fixed label on her gender identity and had relationships with both men and women. She was married for more than 20 years to Kenneth Pitchford, a gay poet.

Born in Lake Worth, Florida, in 1941, Morgan began modeling at three and hosted her own 15-minute radio program at five. She appeared in popular television dramas in the 1940s and 1950s and even had a “Robin Morgan doll.” She later joined civil rights and anti-Vietnam War protests, published more than 20 books on women’s issues and edited Ms. magazine. In 2005, she co-founded the Women’s Media Center with Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 16 years ago, she continued hosting a radio program until recently.