
EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT-NC Alliance Action, Education Legislative Program Calendar 2018
Direct Action, Educating, Lobbying, Coalition Building – General Even Year Activities (mid-session Jan – Apr & short session May – July):
- Constructs lobbying campaign to secure bill sponsors, co-sponsors for long session.
- Develops legislative surveys.
- Organizes plans to expand action teams.
- Concentrates on ERA awareness building in the general population.
- Formulates education campaign for legislators and general public.
- Develops training materials for internal structure and legislative processes.
Jan – Join Women’s Marches; Train Action Teams; Draft precinct resolutions; Finalize Resolutions Campaign/meet with Brenda Howerton, Pres. NC Assc. County Commissioners; Jan 15 MLK Day
Feb – Precinct resolutions; HKonJ Sat., Feb. 10; Train Action Teams; Meet with Governor;
Feb 14 Valentine’s Day; Feb 19 President’s Day; Black History Month
Mar – Women’s History Month
Mar 30 Good Friday; Law Firm Meeting: ERA Business Council; NCGA Event; Tabling; Duke Univ. Event
Apr – NC Council of Churches Critical Issues for Women
Apr 1 Easter Sunday; Apr 10 Equal Pay Day; Apr 14 NCCC; Apr 19-27 Passover; Apr 20 Voter Reg. Deadline Primary
May – Walk for the ERA and/or Letter Drop
May 13 Mother’s Day; May 15 Election Day Primary; May 16 Ramadan; May 28 Memorial Day
Jun – Candidate Poll Survey Finalized
Jun 15 Eid al-Fitr; Jun 17 Father’s Day; Pride Days
Jul – Survey Poll Underway
Jul 4 Independence Day; Jul 19, 20 Seneca Falls, Artist Collaborative ERA Exhibit
Aug – Women’s Equality Day
Aug 21 sunset-Aug 22 Eid al-Adha; Aug 26 WED; Report Results Poll Survey; Tabling; Mock Hearing
Sept – 17th Constitution Day Women’s Forum
Identify bill co-sponsors from Survey Polls, Tabling
Sep 3 Labor Day; Sept 9-11 Rosh Hashanah; Yom Kippur Sept 18-19
Oct – Annual Membership Meeting
Oct 8 Columbus Day; Oct 11 Coming Out Day; Oct 31 Halloween; Annual Membership Meeting; LGBT History Month
Nov – General Election
Nov 6 Election Day, Nov 11 Veteran’s Day; Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day; secure bill co-sponsors; Bennett
prepare 2019 calendar
Dec – Naughty or Nice List NCGA – Lumps of candy coal/I Luv ERA heart cookie
Dec. 2-10 Hanukkah; Dec25 Christmas Day; Parades
In 2017-2018, it is impossible to argue that the amendment is inappropriate, since one who does so implies that women should be legally subjugated.
It’s equally impossible to claim that the amendment is unnecessary, given the continuing inequality we see.
So the remaining argument against the ERA boils down to coded variations of “it would upset the balance of power” — in other words, it would give women a fair chance.
Resistance to the Equal Rights Amendment shows fairness for women sadly is still controversial.
Geoff Kuenning, Claremont at the Los Angeles Times
Dear Friends of the Equal Rights Alliance,
Amanda Krause and I had a great time yesterday (January 12, 2018) with Avram Friedman. Feel free to share the link to the video. Here’s to ERA ratification and women’s rights activism!
Click for the Amanda Krause and Ellen Perry Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB8393OEcYI
Ellen J. Perry
828-776-3802
The proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) states that the rights guaranteed by the Constitution apply equally to all persons regardless of their sex. After the 19th Amendment affirming women’s right to vote was ratified in 1920, suffragist leader Alice Paul introduced the ERA in 1923 as the next step in bringing “equal justice under law” to all citizens.
In 1972, the ERA was finally passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. The original seven-year time limit was extended by Congress to June 30, 1982, but at that deadline, the ERA had been ratified by only 35 states, three states short of the 38 required to put it into the Constitution. The ERA has been introduced into every Congress since the deadline, and beginning in 1994, ERA advocates have been pursuing two different routes to ratification: Continue reading
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Florida state lawmakers reintroduce bill to ratify Equal Rights Amendment
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A longstanding initiative to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in the State of Florida will be revisited this legislative session after a bill was introduced by state lawmakers on Tuesday.
State Sen. Audrey Gibson of Jacksonville reintroduced a bill on the first day of the 2018 legislative session that seeks to ratify the proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to equal rights for men and women. The amendment was first approved by Congress in 1972.
Since then, numerous unsuccessful attempts have been made by members of the Florida Legislature to pass a resolution that would ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the Sunshine State.
“As long as I’m in the legislature or until we have enough states to ratify the amendment, and certainly with Florida included in that, I will continue to file what I think is the right legislation or resolution to get us there,” said Gibson. Continue reading
Jordan Ferrell – First Coast ABC News
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Resistance to the Equal Rights Amendment shows fairness for women sadly is still controversial
In 2017, it is impossible to argue that the amendment is inappropriate, since one who does so implies that women should be legally subjugated. It’s equally impossible to claim that the amendment is unnecessary, given the continuing inequality we see.
So the remaining argument against the ERA boils down to coded variations of “it would upset the balance of power” — in other words, it would give women a fair chance.
Geoff Kuenning, Claremont at the Los Angeles Times
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Women’s rights groups urge Virginia to ratify ERA
RICHMOND, Va. – The fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia has gained momentum with the national discourse about sexual harassment and gender equity and social media campaigns such as #MeToo and #YesAllWomen.
Many people are unaware that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women, said Katie Hornung of Women Matter, a group dedicated to ratifying the ERA. If added to the U.S. Constitution, the ERA would guarantee that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Continue reading
Capital News Service
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Roberta Madden of Black Mountain Receives Award for ERA Work
Roberta Madden of Black Mountain has been selected for an award from North Carolina Women United. The annual Anne Mackie Award recognizes a lifetime contribution to advocacy on behalf of women. The award will be presented at an NCWU event in Raleigh on December 1, 2015.
Madden founded and is co-director of RATIFY ERA-NC, a statewide organization dedicated to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA has been on American women’s agenda since 1923, when it was first proposed by suffragist Alice Paul. The constitutional amendment was introduced in the NC General Assembly this year for the first time since 1982, when it lost narrowly. Renewed efforts are underway nationally to make the ERA part of the Constitution. Continue Reading See also The Black Mountain News