And it was originally introduced at the Seneca Falls Convention by suffrage - leaders of the suffragette movement in the United States. ZAKIYA THOMAS: So, as I said, this is the 100th anniversary of Equal Rights Amendment being introduced in Congress. We just need to make sure that Congress affirms that, and we will have equality enshrined in our Constitution.ĪMY GOODMAN: Now, can you explain more how the ERA came about to begin with, and how many decades this has been going on? And in 2020, it was ratified by the 38th state, Virginia, the 38th state needed to - for ratification purposes. And since then, it’s been passed by both houses of Congress. So, it was first introduced in Congress about a hundred years ago. So, the Equal Rights Amendment would be an amendment to the Constitution that would enshrine protections against sex discrimination in the U.S. ZAKIYA THOMAS: Thank you so much for having us. I’m sure a lot of people are scratching their heads and saying, “Oh my gosh! The ERA, what ever happened with that?” Why don’t you explain further its history and why Tuesday is so significant? We welcome you both to Democracy Now! Zakiya Thomas, let’s begin with you. Well, for more, we go to Washington, D.C., to speak with Zakiya Thomas, president and CEO of the ERA Coalition, and Linda Coberly, who’s chair of the Legal Task Force at the ERA Coalition, also a partner at Winston & Strawn. Our resolution will help address centuries of gender discrimination in America by removing the unnecessary barriers that have prevented us from enshrining the dignity, the humanity and equality of women into our United States Constitution.ĪMY GOODMAN: That’s Congressmember Ayanna Pressley. The coalition was not as diverse nor as inclusive, so I’m especially encouraged and emboldened to demonstrate today we are leading and working in an intersectional and inclusive way to advance this priority. AYANNA PRESSLEY: It’s not lost on me that the first time the Equal Rights Amendment was put forward was 100 years ago. This is Democratic Congressmember Ayanna Pressley speaking at a press conference in support of the ERA, which was introduced by Democratic Senator Dick Durbin. The House voted in 2020 to remove the deadline when Virginia became the 38th, and potentially pivotal, state to ratify the ERA, but the Senate didn’t pick up the measure. Well, on Tuesday, the ERA will get its first hearing in 40 years when the Senate Judiciary Committee meets to discuss a joint resolution to finally affirm it, after removing an arbitrary seven-year deadline on the ratification process. In one of the most clear examples, women today are still paid 83 cents for every dollar men earn. This comes as women continue to face discrimination throughout their lives. The Equal Rights Amendment has been introduced in every session of Congress since 1923, finally passed in 1972, more than half a century ago. We look now at what may be a historic next step in the push to codify gender equality in the U.S. AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!,, The War and Peace Report.
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