Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance

It's Time to Write Women Into the Constitution!

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Audrey Muck

CD 5 Action Team

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Join our Candidate Calling Project!

We are calling all candidates for the Congressional 5th District (CD 5) and all NC General Assembly candidates whose districts fall within the CD 5 footprint. First up – the candidates with primary races.

The ERA-NC Alliance will post candidates’ responses – whether they support North Carolina’s ratification of the ERA or not – to the website.

Contact Audrey Muck, cd05actionteam@era-nc.org or 336-365-6615 to join the effort!

Wisdom of Women

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Critical Issues Seminar: Wisdom of Women 
Saturday, April 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Guilford College United Methodist Church
1205 Fleming Road, Greensboro

The NC Council of Churches’ 2018 Critical Issues Seminar will focus on women. The theme will cover topics such as the Equal Rights Amendments, sexual harassment and work place policy, elected office, health care, and public education. Be sure to check out ERA workshop!!

The seminar will begin with opening worship led by the Rev. Dr. Donna Coletrane Battle. Donna is a native of Yanceyville, NC and currently serves as the chaplain at Meredith College. Following worship, Anita Earls will deliver this year’s keynote address. Anita is a civil rights attorney with 30 years’ experience litigating voting rights and other civil rights cases in partnership with community-based organizations. She was the founder and Executive Director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, but recently left that position to run for a seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court. 

Registration information and a list of available workshops can be found at the link. General admission is $25, but a discounted price of $15 is available for students. http://bit.do/NCCCWow

 

ERA Resolution for Republican Precincts

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For those of you active in the Republican Party, here’s a resolution to take to your precinct meetings to gain the support of your county for ERA ratification by North Carolina!

Download the resolution as a Word document: 2018 ERA Resolution Republican Precincts

 

Text of the resolution:

A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR HEARINGS AND RATIFICATION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT  

WHEREAS, Women, who constitute over 51% of the population of North Carolina, continue to confront workplace discrimination; health care inequities; disparate rates of poverty; rape and domestic violence assaults; a lack of political parity; and

WHEREAS, Anti-discrimination state laws are not uniform and federal laws are not comprehensive; additionally, these laws can be repealed or reduced; and

WHEREAS, The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is needed to help correct systemic sex discrimination, since the US Constitution does not explicitly guarantee that all the rights that it protects are held equally by all citizens without regard to sex; and

WHEREAS, The ERA was proposed in 1923, passed by Congress in 1972 and ratified by 35 of the 38 states necessary to put it into the Constitution as of a June 30, 1982 time limit; and

WHEREAS, Irrespective of a time limit for ratification, the Nevada Legislature ratified the ERA with a bipartisan vote on March 22, 2017, becoming the thirty-sixth state to ratify the amendment; and

WHEREAS, Congress can alter time limits in the proposing clauses of amendments, and the deadline for the ERA appeared only in the preamble and not in the text of the amendment; and

WHEREAS, Fifteen municipalities across North Carolina have adopted resolutions of support for the ERA in 2017; and

WHEREAS, ERA bills were introduced into both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly in 2015 and 2017; were assigned to Judiciary and/or Rules Committees, but were not considered in hearings; and

WHEREAS, The North Carolina Republican Party believes in equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, sex, age or disability; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Republican Party will prioritize advocating that the General Assembly hold committee hearings upon like ratification bills and all Republicans will pursue ratification of the ERA to the US Constitution as proposed by Congress on March 22, 1972.

Submitted to the _________________ County Republican Party by (name)_________________________________, Precinct #_____, _________________ County February __, 2018. E-mail address: ________________________________________

ERA Resolution for Democratic Precincts

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For those of you active in the Democratic Party, here’s a resolution to take to your precinct meetings to gain the support of your county for ERA ratification by North Carolina!

Download the resolution as a Word document: 2018 ERA Resolution Democratic Precincts

 

Text of document:

A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR HEARINGS AND RATIFICATION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT 

WHEREAS, Women, who constitute over 51% of the population of North Carolina, continue to confront workplace discrimination; health care inequities; disparate rates of poverty;  rape and domestic violence assaults; a lack of political parity; and

WHEREAS, Anti-discrimination state laws are not uniform and federal laws are not comprehensive; additionally, these laws can be repealed or reduced; and

WHEREAS, The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is needed to help correct systemic sex discrimination, since the US Constitution does not explicitly guarantee that all the rights that it protects are held equally by all citizens without regard to sex; and

WHEREAS, The ERA was proposed in 1923, passed by Congress in 1972 and ratified by 35 of the 38 states necessary to put it into the Constitution as of a June 30, 1982 time limit; and

WHEREAS, Irrespective of a time limit for ratification, the Nevada Legislature ratified the ERA with a bipartisan vote on March 22, 2017, becoming the thirty-sixth state to ratify the amendment; and

WHEREAS, Congress can alter time limits in the proposing clauses of amendments, and the deadline for the ERA appeared only in the preamble and not in the text of the amendment; and

WHEREAS, Sixteen municipalities and/or counties across North Carolina have adopted resolutions of support for the ERA; and

WHEREAS, ERA bills were introduced into both chambers of the North Carolina General Assembly in 2015 and 2017; were assigned to Judiciary and/or Rules Committees, but were not considered in hearings; and

WHEREAS, The North Carolina Democratic Party Platform calls for a renewed effort to ratify the ERA; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the North Carolina Democratic Party will prioritize advocating that the General Assembly hold committee hearings upon ratification bills like those introduced in 2015 and 2017, and all Democrats will pursue ratification of the ERA to the US Constitution as proposed by Congress on March 22, 1972.

Submitted to the _________________ County Democratic Party by (name)_________________________________, Precinct #_____, _________________ County February __, 2018. E-mail address: ________________________________________

 

Informative Sources: ERA-NC Alliance era-nc.org; ERA equalrightsamendment.org; US Census Bureau census.gov/quickfacts/NC; ERA Coalition eracoalition.org; NCDP Platform Preamble tinyurl.com/ya3f5rfc

Join the Alliance at HKonJ!

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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:

The ERA and the #MeToo movement

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Connecting the Dots

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!


2017: ERA-NC Alliance’s busy year!

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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.

The Outer Banks Beacon ran an online poll over the summer that showed the majority of their readers support ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

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:

  • Women’s Summit
  • 5k Run

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.

 

New Bern joins municipalities calling for ratification of the ERA!

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photo credit: Jackie O via Flickr

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.

ERA-NC Alliance 2017 Fall Retreat

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YOU ARE WARMLY INVITED TO THE ALLIANCE’S
FIRST FALL RETREAT!

The ERA-NC Alliance Board Retreat will be held at Kunuga Conference Center near Asheville

October 14-15
at the beautiful Kanuga
Conference Center in the
Mountains south of Asheville
www.kanuga.org

Schedule of Events:

October 13, 6PM-9PM

  • Dinner and a Movie for early arrivals
  • Equal Means Equal, movie by Kamala Lopez

October 14, 9AM-5PM

  • General session, breakout groups
  • Review of work done to date by the Alliance
  • Generate new ideas for closing in on ERA ratification!
  • Special luncheon speaker, Hon. Carla Cunningham, lead House sponsor of ERA bill

       6PM-9PM

  • Special dinner speaker, Melinda Lowrance, President, Henderson County NAACP, District 1 Supervisor, NAACP of NC and ERA champion
  • 7:30, Wine and Beer Reception, Cash Bar
  • Silent Auction throughout day to raise funds for ERA-NC (bring items, gift baskets, with lists and values, please) 

October 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.org/4849

SEE YOU THERE!