By: Nancy Werner
NFBPWC Advocacy Team ERA Lead  

Partner Organization Meeting  

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.  

On May 2, the ERA Coalition Partner Organizations Meeting was held. This is a summary of their first meeting. 

• Electoral Working Group is one of four ERA Working Groups that’s part of the ERA Coalition revamped structure. The other working groups are: Communication, Public Education and Civic Engagement. 

• The Working Group identifies the several areas ERA messaging during the 2024 election cycle: Linking sex equality with democracy and voting. Not voting is not a statement, it is silence, our opposition will be voting; Abortion is an issue that ERA supporters care about and so do many other potential ERA allies; the ERA is already ratified and still unpublished. 

• The Working Group is an integral component of the 2024 Elect Equality campaign to make sex equality and the Equal Rights Amendment defining issues in the upcoming elections. 

• We are looking to identify partners to expand the Elect Equality campaign and broaden our collective reach. 

• Working Group members along with other ERA Coalition partners, are encouraged to work in coordination to develop materials and tools for candidates that express sex equality and broaden public awareness and increase voter education and participation. 

Elect Equality 2024 

• Elect Equality 2024, with a launch date of July 4, links sex equality with democracy and voting. 

• Elect Equality seeks to make sex equality and the Equal Rights Amendment defining issues in the upcoming elections. 

• Elect Equality is an online tool that allows voters to look up their candidates for federal office and ensure they are voting for the ERA-supporting candidates in the November election. 

• In 2022, state ERA advocates conducted Elect Equality activities in Arizona, Minnesota and North Carolina.  

• Reach out to Bettina Hager at bhager@eracoalition.org 

Now there are a few more items to share but I will hold them for the July edition. 

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. We now have 96,500 supporters who have signed the petition. The most signers are in California, New York and Florida.  

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

May I introduce you again to the Alice Paul Institute, Mt. Laurel, New Jersey? 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. 

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. 

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 

Yes, this is a repeat of last month but if you would love to get in the news, here is an opportunity of a lifetime….and attending the Biennial Conference in King of Prussia, PA will offer to you another opportunity to visit the Alice Paul Institute at Paulsdale. Check it out on the www.nfbpwc.org under Events. PA Affiliate Chapter would love to have you!