Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance
It's Time to Write Women Into the Constitution!
8:30 a.m. Begin gathering corner of Wilmington and South Streets near Shaw University in front of Duke Energy Center. Look for the ERA-NC Alliance Banner.
9:00 a.m. Pre-Rally/Speakers 10:00 a.m. March begins followed by Rally
Consider staying in Raleigh and visiting your legislators to explain why we need the ERA!!
Download the flyer here: 
If your New Year’s Resolution was to get active in getting the Equal Rights Amendment ratified by North Carolina this year, here’s your chance to get involved in upstate action! The first planning meeting for the Action Teams for Congressional Districts 10 & 11 is January 25th in Asheville. Feel free to print the flyer and share!
Several of our members marched with the national ERA Coalition at the Women’s March in Washington, DC on January 21st!
Reintroduced the ERA Ratification bills in both the NC House and Senate. We held press conferences and actions like the I Love the ERA “Cookie Drop” at the statehouse, but the bills still languish in committee.
Congressional Action Teams were established for many of the state’s congressional districts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 & 11!
Participated in events around the state, including:
Screened the film, “Equal Means Equal” in major theaters for Women’s Equality Day, on multiple campuses for Constitution Day, and held many – many! – screenings and discussions in homes around the state.
Held a post-screening panel at UNC-Chapel Hill featuring Ellie Smeal of the Feminist Majority, Nevada State Senator, Pat Spearman and Jessica Neuwirth, author of the book, Equal Means Equal and President of the National ERA Coalition.
Several of our members took part in the Equal Means Equal Silent Sentinels at the nation’s capital.
More municipalities and counties passed resolutions in support of state ratification of the ERA, especially on the coast! The Outer Banks Beacon ran an online poll and revealed that folks on the coast are on fire for the ERA!!
Held our first Board Retreat.
Traveled to speak before audiences across the state about the need for the ERA.
The Board of Aldermen of the City of New Bern is the most recent municipality to pass a resolution urging the General Assembly to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The City of New Bern’s resolution amplifies the voices of even more North Carolina citizens who want the state legislature to take steps toward ensuring the full equality of women and men in the United States Constitution.
After the New Bern Board of Aldermen unanimously passed the resolution, Alderman Jameesha Harris stated, ” I feel it is important that we acknowledge the constitutional rights of women and how it is important that local officials take a lead to make sure state leaders know the desires of constituents, and how great it was that history was made with three women serving on the Board of Aldermen. It was important to me to spearhead this push to have the board vote to adopt the resolution, and it set a tone for the city of New Bern on how things should be done. I am honored to serve with individuals who recognize the importance of the ratification of the ERA.”
“We are so pleased to have received the unanimous support of the Board of Aldermen for the ERA,” said Pat Chylko, President of the Democratic Women of Craven County. “When newly elected Alderman Harris was approached, she responded with enthusiasm.”
New Bern Alderman Sabrina Bengel remarked, “I am honored to be part of this historic moment when three women took their seats as Aldermen for the City of New Bern for the first time in the over 300 year history of our City, and when the New Bern Board of Aldermen unanimously voted for approval of the resolution in support of the ERA.”
“We were pleased and honored to voice our endorsement of this amendment,” said Dana Outlaw, the Mayor of the City of New Bern. “It’s an opportunity to acknowledge the multitude of women who make a great impact in our communities and throughout our country, and to ensure they are afforded equal chances, privileges and treatment. Many thanks to the Democratic Women of Craven County for all the work you do.”
In 1972 a proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed both houses of the U.S. Congress and was sent to the states for ratification. By a 1982 deadline, only 35 of the required 38 states had ratified the ERA. North Carolina was one of the states that failed to ratify the ERA. However, in March 2017, the state of Nevada became the 36th state to ratify the amendment.
North Carolina enjoys enormous support for equal rights for women and men under the Constitution and is becoming a leader in the new movement to ratify the ERA. Bills supporting state ratification were introduced in both the House and Senate in the 2015 and 2017 General Assembly sessions, though they were sent to committees where the chairs refused to hold hearings or take further action. Activists remain undeterred, however, and are continuing to gather evidence of statewide support for the ERA to share with our expanding base of allies within the General Assembly.
For the full list of counties and municipalities that have passed ERA ratification resolutions, please visit www.era-nc.org/counties-and-municipalities.
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October 13, 6PM-9PM
October 14, 9AM-5PM
6PM-9PM
President, Henderson County NAACP, District 1 Supervisor, NAACP of NC and ERA championOctober 15, 9AM-11AM
• ERA-NC Alliance Board Meeting, open to all
Room Rates
$125/night per person in shared room, meals included
$160/night single, meals included
$50.48 Saturday only (lunch & dinner included)
Register early! Space is tight! $5 registration fee
Register online at https://registration.kanuga.
“Certainly, the Constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t.”
– late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, 2010
Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17th, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia. Learn why WOMEN still aren’t equal under the US Constitution. Find your local campus showing of the ground-breaking film, Equal Means Equal, and support women’s civil rights.
EQUAL MEANS EQUAL offers an unflinching look at how women are treated in the United States today. Covering workplace harassment, domestic violence, rape and sexual assault, healthcare, and the judicial system; the film makes a compelling and persuasive argument for the urgency of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment.
Tues., Sept. 12 at 6:00 pm
NC Central University – Durham
Alfonso Elder Student Union, 1801 Fayetteville St #125
Wed., Sept. 13 at 2:00pm – 5:00 pm
University of NC – Wilmington
Wrightsville Beach Room, Fisher Student Center
Thurs., Sept. 14 at 7:30 pm
Mars Hill University – Mars Hill
Belk Auditorium, Wren Student Union, 100 Athletic Dr.
FLAGSHIP SHOWING – DISTINGUISHED PANEL
Fri., Sept. 15 at 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
University of NC – Chapel Hill
Hitchcock Rm. Sonja Haynes Stone Center, 150 South Rd
Click here to download flyer
Constitution Day commemorates the adoption of the United States Constitution. Each educational institution that receives Federal funds for a fiscal year is required to hold an educational program about the U.S. Constitution for its students. It is normally observed on September 17, the day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document in Philadelphia.
Campus 4 ERA is an affiliate of NC 4 ERA: A Project of NC NOW. Visit us on Facebook: NC Campus 4 ERA
August 26 from 9:30 AM-1:00 PMJoin women’s organizations and men and women across the Triangle as we celebrate Women’s Equality Day! This day commemorates the certification of the 19th amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote. This occasion has been celebrated since 1973 by Presidential Proclamation after a bill introduced by Bella Abzug. The victory of “Women’s Equality Day” will be recognized at the march and rally and we are rededicating ourselves to eliminating discrimination against women. This year’s theme is “Women’s Equality Now!”
Details: Participants will gather at 9:30 AM at the Durham County Register of Deeds Office at 414 E. Main Street and march to the American Tobacco Campus on Blackwell Street. The rally will have a terrific slate of speakers, performance artists, skits, live music, children’s activities and good food from local restaurants. Sponsor organizations will have tables set up with information about their activities.
Press Conference: In conjunction with the event, there is a press conference August 24th at 10 AM at CCB Plaza at 201 Corcoran Street in Downtown Durham.
Sponsors: Action NC along with partners NARAL Pro-Choice NC, NC Women United, NC Women Matter, NC National Organization for Women (NOW), NC4ERA, NC Women Advance, NC Black Women’s RoundTable, Durham County Women’s Commission, Working America and Women NC.
Lori Bunton
Photos from previous Women’s Equality Marches in Durham
On June 17, 2017, the annual Feminist 5K was held at John Chavis Memorial Park in Raleigh, NC.
Kennedy and Marge, State Action Team Facilitators, set up a table to represent the Alliance and displayed brochures, flyers, and Equal Means Equal by Jessica Neuwirth. They volunteered with Gailya Paliga, the president of one of our lead organizations, NC NOW, during the event. They spoke with activists, runners, and volunteers to educate them about the ERA ratification movement in North Carolina and our recent mobilization efforts.
If you haven’t had a chance to read it, this is a great summation of how the ERA – and other important bills – fared at the hands of the NC General Assembly’s Rules Committee this year. Op-Ed written by our co-president, Roberta Madden, in the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper:
“The Deafening Silence on an Equal Rights Amendment”