Twenty-five years ago, countries around the world enshrined new rights for women and girls. But rights are nothing without the power to claim them. — This article appears in the October 2020 print edition of The Atlantic with the headline “Power Shortage.” Giving speeches was not usually a problem for me, but a lot was riding on this one, and I had a genuine case of nerves as I took the stage. Before me were…

George Floyd’s life mattered. Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor’s lives mattered. Black lives matter. Against a backdrop of a pandemic that has disproportionately ravaged communities of color, we are being painfully reminded right now that we are long overdue for honest reckoning and meaningful action to dismantle systemic racism. If…

Our democratic institutions and traditions are under siege. We need to do everything we can to fight back. — It’s been nearly two years since Donald Trump won enough Electoral College votes to become president of the United States. On the day after, in my concession speech, I said, “We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.” …

Plenty of words come to mind when I think about 2017. And if you want to know my unfiltered thoughts on “emails,” “fake news,” “sexism,” or “Russia,” I’ve written about each of those topics at length in my book. (As well as “bully,” “demagogue,” and “creep”!) But when I step…

Last night, I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country. I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry we did not win this…

We are truly stronger together. At the beginning of this campaign, we gathered on Roosevelt Island, pledging to protect the progress we’ve made and explaining our vision for a stronger, fairer future. It’s hard to believe that tomorrow, a year and a half later, America will finally begin its next…

Last June, I was on a swing through California when I had the opportunity to do a small town hall in Los Angeles. Those are actually my favorite kinds of events. …

At the debate on Sunday, I mentioned a brave little boy named Felix, whose mom wrote to me this summer. Her letter moved me so deeply that I wanted to take a moment to tell you his story. Felix was born in rural southern Ethiopia, and he was adopted and…

When we launched this campaign 17 months ago, I knew how difficult the road would be. But no matter how tough things have gotten, you’ve stood by my side. We’ve dealt with a lot of hatred and divisiveness. But like my friend Michelle Obama says, when they go low, we…