 |
Dear
Amy,
I
am a painter who is dedicated to awareness of
historical and modern crimes and injustices toward
women by religion/government/culture/individuals.
I was just recently made aware that the Equal
Rights Amendment of 1972 was not ratified by 15
southern states and is therefore not U.S. constitutional
law! I've talked to dozens of women recently who
thought it passed into law 30 years ago.It did
not. It fell three states short of being ratified.
I never ever hear anything about this!
- How
can I promote awareness?
- Who
is working on this in your organization?
- Who
are the key national figures that I can contact?
- Who
are the key broadcasters/journalists/activists
that I can contact regarding this issue?
I
can't believe that I still have more constitutional
rights than women! What is your opinion on the
most effective activist approach for someone in
my/your/our positions on the Equal Rights Amendment,
which apparently has been on hold for thirty freaking
years? Thanks for any available connections/resources.
Paco
|
 |
Dear
Paco,
No,
the ERA never passed. It's appalling that it never
passed. It should be passed, and it still can
be. I was shocked to learn in your email that
so many people thought it had already passed.
Many feminists have argued that in many ways women
have many of the rights that would have been gained
through the ERA through other pieces of legislation,
like Title IX, which works again discrimination
in the schools and Title VII, which works to eliminate
discrimination in the workplace. But this still
doesn't explain why a simple thing like the ERA
hasn't passed.
There
is a group that you should contact - The ERA Summit,
they are working to ratify the ERA. There are
certain states that need to ratify it, and they
aren't all southern - Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas,
Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, Utah, Virgina. Since you live in one
of these states, they could probably use your
help lobbying. You can contact them at: www.equalrightsamendment.org.
I hope that your energy can fill their need.
Thanks.
Amy
|
