Hillary Clinton penned a short farewell essay Friday for the last day of the popular women’s site, The Toast, which touched on the importance of women in leadership and of creating spaces for women’s work.
The beloved site with a cult following announced in May that it would shutter after just three years. Readers have taken to Twitter to mourn its demise, sharing their articles and favorite moments from the site which featured women’s writing and art, included everything from personal essays to fanfiction to drawings.
According to an editor’s note from Nicole Cliffe, one of the founders of The Toast, Clinton’s team reached out to the editors and said Clinton was interested in including a piece for the site’s final days.
“Then they got in touch on Wednesday and said she wanted to write something HERSELF (it seems her people show her Two Monks or what-have-you on long campaign days) and I said only if it was funny and they said ‘she was thinking more heartfelt?’ and here we are,” Cliffe wrote.
In the essay, titled “A note on The Toast,” Clinton touched on what a site and space like this means for women, and how spaces for women have been important for her since her days in the Senate.
“My friend Barbara Mikulski famously started a tradition of dinner parties for all the women of the Senate,” Clinton wrote. “Over a glass of wine — okay, maybe three — we’d give each other support, advice, and highly relevant tips to navigate being in such an extreme minority. I’ve always had great admiration for women like Barb who take it upon themselves to create spaces where women can speak their minds freely.”
Clinton congratulated the Toast team, two of which work for her campaign, on three years of success and encouraged them and their readers to believe in their own merits.
“Speak your opinion more fervently in your classes if you’re a student, or at meetings in your workplace,” she wrote. “Proudly take credit for your ideas. Have confidence in the value of your contributions. And if the space you’re in doesn’t have room for your voice, don’t be afraid to carve out a space of your own.”
Hear, hear!
I need calming down. Anyone?
Great advice for young males as well…
As a woman, I have loved Hillary since I first became aware of her as First Lady.
The grace she showed when the Republican, insecure, misogynist vulchers came after her, through the grace she showed while publicly dealing with a cheating husband, the endless witch hunts from Whitewater to the current emails, show a fighter with endless strength.
This note to “Toast”, sums up her leadership among women and her admiration and support for other women. If someone would take the time, they would see a life dedicated to other women with focus on children. Her national and global reach are a phenomenal.
When they come after her, email non issue…we rise up to support her. I know there are millions out there like me, and we are growing with each accomplishment that we share in- recent scotus victory, first female president, fight for reproductive rights and insurance coverage…-endurance thru yet another nonscandal-email- that she is forced to endure.
Not that I know anything (puts me on par with cable) but isn’t it worth considering this canned hooha from the usual suspects involves an Atty General with an unblemished reputation and a former President, kismet in a public place or the usual, fun and profitable darker hints and magic rabbits? Even the media’s, 'it wasn’t very smart" line pales when one considers the vindictive, petty source.
Magically, this yummy pundit sausage popped out of the Easy Bake right on cue…