Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance
It's Time to Write Women Into the Constitution!
Joanna Wade, co-president of the ERA-NC Alliance, will be interviewed on “The State of Things,” a radio show on WUNC, Thursday, April 18, noon to 12:45 p.m. Frank Stasio is the host.
Bills to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment were introduced in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly on March 5th. ERA-NC Alliance organized a statewide presence in Raleigh, with ERA advocates from the coast to the mountains on hand to witness the introductions and to encourage every single member of the General Assembly to sign on as a co-sponsor. A panel discussion was held in the NCGA Equal Rights Caucus featuring Eleanor Smeal of the Feminist Majority, and Carol Jenkins and Bettina Hager of the ERA Coalition, with ERA-NC Alliance co-president Joanna Wade as moderator. That was followed by a press conference with the bills’ primary sponsors and many co-sponsors present. A mobile billboard organized by Alliance Lead Organization, League of Women Voters of NC, also circled the capitol throughout the day!
Press Conference video:
Equal Rights Caucus video:
Video courtesy of Brave Lens Films, Inc.
Can’t make it to the NC General Assembly on March 5th but want to be part of the action?
You can contact the legislators representing your county to let them know that you strongly support the Equal Rights Amendment and expect them to do the same.
Here are some key points to cover (although we hope you will use your own voice, stories, and perspective!):
Legislators’ individual addresses can be found at www.NCleg.gov, click on ‘District Representation’, ‘Find your legislator’, scroll down to “representation by County”, enter your county, click on the names for both office and home mailing addresses. An in-person visit is always best, but emails and phone calls also count!
Thank you for joining us in this work!
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: ERA 2019
One more state. Not one more genERAtion!
North Carolina has the historic chance to become the 38th and final state required to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and change the U.S. Constitution. The ERA supports families by helping to combat wage inequities, protect pregnant women in the workplace, and protect against domestic violence and sexual assault.
EVENT: Women’s History Month: ERA 2019
DATE: Tuesday, March 5
TIME: 12:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
LOCATION: North Carolina General Assembly, 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh, N.C.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
Join our Facebook event and let us know you’re coming!
Schedule of Events:
4:00 p.m. Senate expected to convene
4:45 p.m. House expected to convene
Additional Details:
Apparel: White apparel with touches of green or ERA-NC Alliance T-shirts are welcome. Remember to wear the sash you created as part of our #SashTag Challenge! And bring extras. A limited number of white ribbons will be available.
Rules of the legislature: www.ncleg.gov/Files/about/buildingrules.pdf
Rules of special note: No signs on sticks allowed. No oversize signs. In the galleries, no signs or food and beverages at all.
Security: Everyone must pass through security at entrances, front and back of building (LB)
Parking, directions and dining information: www.ncleg.gov/About/Visitorinfo
Can’t join us at the General Assembly that day? Here’s how you can still take action!
For those not able to make it to the legislature, there is the #Sashtag Challenge, details linked in message. Excerpt from: http://www.facebook.com/events/575772219555843/
If you can’t make it to Raleigh, post photos of yourself and your sash on March 5, saying “I support equal rights for all. Ratify the ERA!” #SashTag and #ALLforERA
Also, we have petitions listed on the site that can be sent to the NC Speaker of the House, NC Senate President Pro-tempore, and any legislator that represents one of your members. https//www.era-nc.org/nc-ratification-petition/
And a postcard that can be sent can be found here: Postcard House Parties https://www.era-nc.org/postcards/
Contact info for legislators and leaders is at:
NC House: http://www.ncleg.gov/House
NC Senate: http://www.ncleg.gov/Senate
NC Speaker of the House: Rep. Tim Moore http://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/H/339
NC Senate President Pro-Tempore: Phil Berger http://www.ncleg.gov/Members/Biography/S/64
House Rules Chair: http://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/HouseStanding/2
Senate Rules Chair: http://www.ncleg.gov/Committees/CommitteeInfo/SenateStanding/148
Again, we thank you for your support of the ERA!
The ERA-NC Alliance reached out to EVERY North Carolina candidate running for Congress and the General Assembly this year! We called as many candidates individually as we could, and sent out postcards as well.
A ‘yes’ means the candidate will co-sponsor and vote for the resolution to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Many candidates also returned comments with their survey; you can read their comments in this document.
| NC HOUSE | Name | Supports ERA? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edward Goodwin | Yes |
| 1 | Ronald Wesson | Yes |
| 2 | Darryl Moss | Yes |
| 3 | T. Lee Horne | No |
| 3 | Barbara Lee | Yes |
Durham, NC – On May 30, 2018, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, making it the 37th of 38 states need to guarantee women in the United States full protection under the Constitution.
Efforts have been underway in North Carolina to ratify the ERA as well, with bills introduced in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 sessions. On May 31st, additional ratifying bills were introduced in both the NC House and Senate. Senators Floyd McKissick and Terry Van Duyn are primary sponsors of S782, which explains why the ERA is still viable for ratification today, and allocates $10,000 to educate the public about the act. In the House, Representatives Carla Cunningham, Susan Fisher, Evelyn Terry and Deb Butler are primary sponsors of the companion bill H1072.
Links to new bills:
S782: www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/Senate/PDF/S782v1.pdf
H1072: www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/House/PDF/H1072v1.pdf
A 2016 poll found nearly universal support (94%) for guaranteeing women equal rights under the Constitution. Nearly 80% of those polled mistakenly believed that was already the case. However, the late Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, made it clear that justices following a constitutionalist philosophy believe that women are not protected under the Constitution, and that the founders did not intend that they be protected under the document.
The ERA-NC Alliance is conducting a statewide educational campaign about the need for the Constitutional amendment, which is anticipated to eventually guarantee equality for men and women under the law and in the workplace, and strengthen protection against gender-based violence.
ERA-NC Alliance Co-Presidents Marena Groll and Roberta Madden are available for interviews.
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About the ERA-NC Alliance:
The ERA-NC Alliance (www.era-nc.org) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization seeking ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. constitution. Membership is open to individuals and organizations committed to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Lead organizations include the American Association of University Women of NC, Democratic Women of NC, League of Women Voters of NC, NC4ERA, NC Business and Professional Women, NC National Organization for Women, NC Women United, Ratify ERA- NC the Women’s Forum of NC and the YWCA of Asheville. The Alliance operates in direct collaboration with the national ERA Coalition (www.eracoalition.org).
This afternoon, ERA ratification bill sponsor, Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr. and co-sponsor Terry Van Duyn, took part in a press conference about women’s rights bills filed at the statehouse. Like Illinois Rep. Lou Lang, Senator McKissick has also been a tireless advocate for women’s constitutional equality, introducing the bill year after year, and he has our deepest gratitude!
Senator Van Duyn credits ERA-NC Alliance co-President, Roberta Madden, for showing her that the ERA was still a viable amendment.
This afternoon, ERA ratification bill (S. 782) sponsor, Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr. and co-sponsor Terry Van Duyn, took part in a press conference about women’s rights bills filed at the statehouse, moderated by Senator Erica Smith.
The ERA portion of the conference is available for you to listen to below,:
Illinois ratified the Equal Rights Amendment by a vote of 72-45 on the evening of May 30th, 2018, becoming the 37th state to ratify!! This means just one more state needs to ratify to get the amendment into the Constitution!
Representative Lou Lang, a longtime ERA advocate, spoke passionately on the floor as the House debated passage of the ratification bill, calling it a no-brainer and an opportunity for Illinois to improve the lives of half the population of the United States. “Is the Illinois House for or against adding 161 million American citizens to the U.S. Constitution where they absolutely belong?” he asked. “A ‘no’ vote is a vote against the right of women in the United States of America.”
Opponents argued that ratification would allow easier access to abortion and that women of color wouldn’t see the same gains as white women.
The Illinois Senate passed the ratification bill on April 12th.
Game On, North Carolina! #OneMoreState!
We’re collecting postcards to deliver to the NC House and Senate Rules Committee chairmen urging them to hold a hearing on the ERA ratification bills currently sitting idle in their committees!
Download the cards below (they come 4 to a page, landscape), print them out and invite your friends and family, work colleagues and acquaintances to sign on! We’re collecting the cards and will deliver them en masse to the Chairmen personally in the coming weeks.
Congressional District 10 Action Team leader, Jimmie Cochran Pratt, and ERA-NC Alliance Board Member, Anne Von Brock, recently made a night of it, printing the cards out and getting them ready to distribute!
You can also make phone calls now, we have the phone numbers and suggestions for what to say when you call here: “The NCGA is Back in Session”.
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.