By: Nancy Werner, NFBPWC Advocacy Team ERA Lead 

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT 

100^th ANNIVERSARY MARCH  

Advocacy –Equal Rights Amendment.  “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex” needs to be placed into our Constitution. While most states have laws prohibiting discrimination of any kind based on sex, proponents of the E.R.A. say laws can be reversed or eliminated. Having a Constitutional Amendment would cement those rights.  

When I last wrote, I shared the latest news on the Equal Rights Amendment would be with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand-D New York. She has placed into the Senate bills – S J Res 39 calling for the Archivist to publish the ERA. On March 3, she spoke at a luncheon for the need for the ERA because of its ability to protect reproduction rights.  

So now in April, we read the Equal Means Equal group held a gathering in the city of West Hollywood. They invited the Mayor John Erikson and their Women’s Advisory Board to launch a new initiative- “Make the Call, Joe!” Call the US Archivist and tell her to publish the ERA. Everybody benefits when we put equality first. Let’s make the Equal Rights Amendment a reality and no longer send it to voicemail. 

The Archivist is Collen Joy Shogan and she took office on May 17, 2023. She succeeds Mr. Ferrerio upon his retirement in 2022. Now we know that Article V of the Constitution states an amendment becomes valid upon ratification of the 38^th state. But here is where things become unclear. The archivist merely confirms the completion of the constitutionally mandated ratification process but does not necessarily render the amendment valid.  

Congress is the key to having the ERA submitted as a Constitutional amendment. As I have been researching the process, it is not straightforward or clear. Research has shown different paths to find ratification for each Constitutional Amendment. Not that I like what I am reading, but I will continue my findings and be back. 

SIGN4ERA– May I encourage you AGAIN to take the time RIGHT NOW to sign onto this link. http://www.sign4ERA.org When you visit this site, there is much information given to you from the history to the current work and why it is so important to all of us. 

I just received my correspondence from this group as they share the urgency of telling all our families, neighbors, coworkers to sign on. The signature numbers are still rising to over 91,000 but we need more! Lots more. 

Please keep in touch with your Senators using the NFBPWC “One Click.”  

Lastly, may I introduce you to the Alice Paul Institute, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey. A favorite place of mine and yes, we are taking a field trip there during our Biennial Conference. You don’t want to miss this opportunity of a lifetime.  

But they put out a publication that I find to be very important as I cover the ERA. They track so many happenings across the US and share just like I do for you. In fact, I used some of their findings by sharing with you. 

They also keep tabs on who is sponsoring what bill that pertains to the ERA in the House and Senate and who has signed on to support it. It will give you a quick glance of your Congressperson or Senators stand on our ERA. 

But right now they have a section that you can click on that is called - ”What Does the ERA Mean to YOU?” Here you have the opportunity to share your thoughts and provide a photo. Just wanted you to know about it.  https://www.alicepaul.org>programs Take an early visit to the Alice Paul Institute. I know you will enjoy it!