UCSB Arts & Lectures’ talk on Thursday by influential feminist activist Gloria Steinem had to be moved to the Arlington Theatre due to high demand. The 2,000-seat historic venue was packed with community members and UCSB students.

The event, titled “The Longest Revolution: An Evening with Gloria Steinem,” was composed of a rather brief lecture by the author and recent Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient followed by a long question-and-answer session with audience members.

Nearly 30 people lined each side of the stage to wait to ask questions and to promote various social justices causes.

Steinem was introduced by Natalie Orfalea, who not only listed Steinem’s numerous achievements in her long career but also highlighted recent local research “Not Yet Equal: A Snapshot of Women in Santa Barbara County 2104.”

Lynda.com is the corporate season sponsor.

A resident of New York City, Steinem travels the nation and the world in a role as an organizer, lecturer and media spokeswoman on issues of equality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles, child abuse, human and sex trafficking, nonviolent conflict resolution, and organizing across political boundaries for peace and justice.

She co-founded Ms. Magazine in 1972 and was one of its editors for 15 years. She has published four books and countless articles, and worked on movies and TV documentaries.

For more information about UCSB Arts & Lectures, including upcoming events, call 805.893.3535 or click here.

— Noozhawk contributing writer Rochelle Rose can be reached at rrose@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkSociety, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Become a fan of Noozhawk on Facebook.