I have a tendency to embrace concepts that end up working in theory, but not in practice. This is especially true when it comes to “concepts” that are supposed to eliminate sexism. My impulse is to champion the most brilliant-sounding ideas I find in books written by my favorite feminists. Then somebody asks me how exactly these revolutionary changes -- ending the patriarchy, for instance -- would go into effect, and I stutter. I don’t think I’m alone here. My predicament is common enough to warrant an activist caricature, after all: the “-ism” chanting Millennial with lofty ideals, feminist tote bags, and very little knowledge about how to set change in motion.

One of my goals with Writing on Glass is to provide practical guidance on making the world gender equal. My how-to posts this summer have been somewhat actionable, but I wanted to go one step further in giving some step-by-step advice for advancing feminist causes. There are so many templates like this for goal-setting entrepreneurs. Why can't civic activists adopt the same structures for advancing feminism?

All that said, it’s really not my advice I'm propagating. We have Rebecca Walker, Patsy Mink, bell hooks, and Audre Lorde to thank for the recommendations in this series. The special feature will go live every Tuesday for the next four weeks.

Rebecca Walker: "ARTICULATE AN AGENDA"

Rebecca Walker pioneered the third-wave feminist movement in 1992, when she wrote an article called “Becoming the Third Wave” for Ms. Magazine. Her piece responded to the 1991 Anita Hill hearings. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had been accused of sexually harassing his former employee, Anita Hills. In the televised hearings, a Senate Judiciary Committee evaluated the validity of Hills' complaints. What followed was a public attack on Hills’s character and reputability. The Senate eventually approved Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court justice, and Anita Hill was brushed aside. Rebecca Walker had none of it. She voices the following revelation in her article:

“My involvement must reach beyond my own voice in discussion, beyond voting, beyond reading feminist theory. My anger and awareness must translate into tangible action...Part of this tangible action included her commitment to “push beyond rage and articulate an agenda.” (Rebecca Walker)

An agenda. The idea to create a personal feminist platform struck me as brilliant. The number of pressing women’s issues is dizzying, but I could create my own individual agenda to focus my contributions.