I declared myself a feminist in the early aughts after my first gender studies class at The College of New Jersey, before I truly understood what my feminism looked like. I just knew it didn’t make sense the way that some people, often women of color, were treated like they were less than some other people and that they had to struggle to access basic things (like a quality education, food, and health care) as a result. Fast forward to today, and I would say that my feminism looks like health and human rights for all and is a movement that centers the voices and experiences of people who are most marginalized, including single Black mothers, immigrant populations, and trans individuals.

The thing is, I didn’t really start to think about what my feminism is until I heard about and took part in the Ms. Foundation’s PSA. The campaign, which officially kicks off Monday, “invites feminists to paint a picture of 21st-century feminism.” And it wasn’t until I started listing what my feminism looks like and sharing that vision with others did I get why this project is so desperately needed. Some people still don’t understand that, ultimately, feminism is about the social, economic, and political equality of all genders, and that regardless of what you wear or read or listen to, it’s about your actions and the actions of others in lifting up those who are most often kicked down.

As Teresa Younger, president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation, explained to me via email, while self-proclaimed feminists like Beyoncé and Matt McGorry have “done a lot to raise the awareness of feminism, the overall representation of everyday feminists is broader and more inclusive than what we see in the media today.” As such, today seems “like as good a time as any to push back on the traditional definition and the assumptions about the word to reflect changing times through new forms of social media.” Indeed.