Audrey Muck

2017 Annual Meeting

February 2, 2017 by Audrey Muck 1 Comment

Monday, March 13, 2017
2-4 PM
Highland United Methodist Church, Raleigh

Join us as we honor Alliance members for their advocacy work for the civil rights of women and the ERA. Celebrate with us and welcome our special guest speaker. Alliance business will include elections and adoption of bylaws.

The business meeting will be from 2pm to 4pm at:

Highland United Methodist Church
1901 Ridge Road
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-787-4240
Click here for Google map

Keynote Speaker

Terry Schooley began her feminist career in 1971 at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary by forming a NOW chapter with several seminary wives instead of joining the Divinity Dames – the group to teach one how to be a minister’s wife. After successfully suing the Jefferson County School District for pregnancy discrimination in 1972 she moved to Indiana, working on the successful ratification of the ERA. Moving to Fayetteville, NC, in 1977 she became active in the local NOW chapter, eventually serving as State President and then the Coordinator of the North Carolina ERA Countdown Campaign Her first office was in her laundry room and she carried all her work in a laundry basket.

Terry and her husband moved to Delaware in 1983 where she worked for 14 years as Director of Public Affairs and Development, formed a Pro-Choice PAC and worked extensively with the General Assembly. She was elected to the Christina Board of Education in 1996 where she served as President and also President of the Delaware School Boards Association. She also became Director of KIDS COUNT in Delaware, housed at the University of Delaware – a child advocacy organization. In 2003 she was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives with much help from her Women for Schooley fundraising group and then- Senator Joe Biden. She served in the House for 8 years, chairing the House Education Committee, forming a Kids Caucus of the General Assembly, and sponsoring many bills supporting children, women and their families. Terry has now retired and moved to Greensboro with her husband, Kit. One daughter and family live in Durham and a second daughter and family reside in Atlanta. They spend their time traveling and babysitting.

Celebrate with Us!

Rep. Carla Cunningham and Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr. at ERA-NC Alliance's first meeting to explore pursuing the ERA in North Carolina — Rep. Carla Cunningham and Sen. Floyd McKissick, Jr.

We will recognize Alliance members for their hard work and the General Assembly members who have introduced the ERA this year and gathered co-sponsors: Senator Floyd McKissick, Jr., of Durham introduced SB 85 and Representative Carla Cunningham of Charlotte introduced HB 102.

Elections

We will elect Executive Committee officers and board members for 2017-2019. Open positions are:

2 Co-Presidents
1st Vice Chair (Fundraising)
2nd Vice Chair (Public Relations)
3rd Vice Chair(Membership)
Secretary
Treasurer
Board members: up to 14 members, who will serve on specific committees (Fundraising, Public Relations, Membership, Nominating, Legislative, plus ad hoc committees as appropriate)

Click here to read about the candidates. We will also accept nominations of eligible candidates for Executive Committee and Board positions ‘from the floor’ at the meeting.

You can read our proposed organizing by-laws here.

Organizations and individual members with memberships on file by March 1st, 2017 will be eligible to vote at the meeting.

Accomodations

We have a block of rooms for one overnight stay on March 13th at Comfort Inn & Suites Crabtree Valley, 6209 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh, NC, 27612, (919) 782-1112. The rate is $81.18 (including tax, etc.) for less than 10 rooms. If the group picks up 10 or more rooms by March 1, that rate will drop to $77.80 for all reservations. Unused rooms will be released after that date. Each person will be responsible for making their own reservation with the hotel and cancelling if necessary by 4: 00 pm on March 13 to avoid penalty.

Registration Form:

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Resolutions passed by NC cities, counties

December 11, 2016 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

Women’s Rights movement spreads across North Carolina

Municipalities unanimously pass Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Resolutions

Durham, NC – Several municipalities passed unanimous resolutions in November of this year supporting an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The Durham and Orange County Commissions along with the City of Winston-Salem adopted ERA resolutions at regular business sessions on the 14, 15 and 21^st, respectively. They join Durham City Council, which demonstrated its support by passing a resolution in October. Area residents petitioned their local council and county representatives on behalf of the ERA-NC Alliance, which launched in April of 2016.

The passage of the resolutions marks an historic path for the citizens of the state who seek to re-engage the state legislature toward ensuring the full equality of women in the United States Constitution.

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, the state is becoming a leader in a new movement to pass the ERA.

Jennifer Miller, an Orange County www.onlinepharmacytabs.com resident and visual artist with a studio in Hillsborough, petitioned her commissioners to pass the resolution. She is concerned about “the young women today who assume they are equal citizens under the law.” Miller believes they face a different picture as they enter the work place and begin raising families. “They expect the same career and family trajectory as their male counterparts, but the reality can differ.” The difference can include sexual harassment in the workplace, domestic violence in the home and sexual violence in the community. Sadly, such injustice is often magnified in the courts, where women’s lack of unequivocal constitutional protection under the law allows these discriminatory practices to persist.

Diana Gray, a resident of Winston-Salem, who petitioned her city council to pass an ERA resolution, praised Councilwoman Molly Leight, who introduced the resolution, “She won my admiration when she passionately told the Council that the City of Winston-Salem must take this action because it is the right thing to do.” Gray insisted that, “We must persist in putting ratification of the ERA before our elected officials, especially in this uncertain political climate. “

The Alliance will be taking the ERA campaign to other cities and counties across the state.

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Durham Passes an ERA Resolution!

November 13, 2016 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

Durham, NC – The Durham City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting an Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) at its regular council meeting on October 17, 2016. The action is being heralded as an historic event by members of the ERA-NC Alliance, who advocated for its passage. The council is the first municipal body in North Carolina to re-engage on the issue of fully enfranchising women in the United States Constitution.

Marena Groll, Co-Chair of ERA-NC, commended the action of the council as “forward-thinking and critically relevant.” The reemergence of the ERA occurs at a time of significant healthcarewell pharmacy political unrest for women who are increasingly the family breadwinners and community leaders, but continue to experience sexual discrimination. Groll stated that, “In this election cycle, we have been shocked into a national conversation about sexism and inequality. It’s an unsparing look at everything from wage inequity to rape culture. Women are powerfully positioned in the conversation as an important voting demographic on the issues.”

Groll predicts that blatant sexual discrimination will continue to drive a demand for constitutional equality. “The ERA will be the next defining step for women’s civil rights in America. We are caught up in a breaking wave of the most educated, communications-savvy women in the world. They aren’t going to sit still and be denied the constitutional tools to defend themselves against retro-cultural practices that are hostile to them and to their families.”

The Alliance will be taking the ERA campaign to other cities and counties across the state.

Host an “Equal Means Equal” Houseparty!

October 2, 2016 by Audrey Muck 2 Comments

Host a showing in your home at any time at your own convenience!

Here’s how:

Purchase and download a home copy of the film at https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/equal-means-equal/id1145018277
Available in SD and HD versions. The film is also available at Amazon.com.
Also, encourage your local public library to purchase a copy of the DVD and get it in general circulation!
Download the Equal Means Equal Home Party Action Kit at http://equalmeansequal.com/house-party/
Learn about the film themes at http://equalmeansequal.com/:
Please be sure to contact us when you host a party! Send us an email about your event to membership@era-nc.org. We would like to THANK YOU on our website!
Let your local media know you’re participating in raising awareness of the need for the Equal Rights Amendment!

About the Movie

EQUAL MEANS EQUAL is an unflinching look at how women are treated in the United States today. By following both real life stories and precedent-setting legal cases, director Kamala Lopez discovers how outdated and discriminatory attitudes inform and influence seemingly disparate issues, from workplace matters to domestic violence, rape and sexual assault to the foster care system, the healthcare system and the legal system. Along the way, she reveals the inadequacy of present laws in place that claim to protect women, ultimately presenting a compelling and persuasive argument for the urgency of ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. – equalmeansequal.com

Additional resources:

Watch the trailer at http://equalmeansequal.com/trailer/

To arrange a public viewing/screening at your local theater Contact – Jeffrey Winter, THE FILM COLLABORATIVE festivals@thefilmcollaborative.org (323) 207-8321

Per the filmmaker:
Maximum of 25 viewers at house parties. No fundraising ticket sales, but donations may be accepted for refreshment costs or to contribute to organizations like ERA-NC to further efforts to pass the ERA.

ERA Legislative Survey 2016

August 9, 2016 by Audrey Muck 4 Comments

Legislative, Congressional candidates respond to Equal Rights survey

In response to a recent survey on the Equal Rights Amendment, many North Carolina candidates for the General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives have declared support for the ERA. Most of the legislative candidates who responded said “yes” when asked: “If elected, will you cosponsor and vote for the resolution to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment?”

View the surveys here: NC House | NC Senate

The survey was conducted by the Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance. The nonpartisan Alliance, organized this spring, is dedicated to ratification of the ERA. According to Roberta Madden, co-chair, “The amendment is needed to provide bedrock constitutional protection for equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender. We are very pleased by the broad support for equal rights. Supporters include Democrats, Republicans, and Libertarians,” she said. The ERA will be introduced in the General Assembly in 2017.

If candidates in your district have responded, please be sure to thank them! If they have not yet responded, urge them to do so. We will continue to update this page as more more responses come in. The goal is to get as many candidates to sign on for the ERA as soon as possible.

The following state Senate candidates pledged to cosponsor and vote for the ERA:

Angela R. Bryant, incumbent (D-4)
Albert Pacer (D-11)
Toni Morris (D-19)
Floyd McKissick, incumbent (D-20)
Mike Woodard, incumbent (D-22)
Valerie P. Foushee, incumbent (D-23)
Dannie M. Montgomery (D-25)
Paul A. Lowe, Jr., incumbent (D-32)
Robert Brown (D-36)
Jeff Jackson, incumbent (D-37)
Lloyd Scher (D-39)
Jonathan Hudson (D-41)
Art Sherwood (D-45)
Anne Fischer (D-46)
Norman Bossert (D-48)
Terry Van Duyn, incumbent (D-49)

Three state Senate candidates said they oppose the ERA:

Eric Weaver (R-16)
Marguerite Cooke (R-40)
Chris Cole (Lib-41)

The following state House candidates pledged to cosponsor and vote for the ERA:

Ray Martin (R-11)
George Graham, incumbent (D-12)
Rodney Alexander (D-13)
Dan Whitten (D-15)
Steve Unger (D-16)
Charles Warren (D-17)
Susi Hamilton, incumbent (D-18)
Larry D. Hall, incumbent (D-29)
M. (Mickey) Michaux, Jr., incumbent (D-31)
Rosa U. Gill, incumbent (D-33)
Yvonne Lewis Holley, incumbent (D-38)
Joe John (D-40)
Marvin W. Lucas, incumbent (D-42)
Roberta Waddle (D-45) – withdrew
Thomas (Tom) Howell, Jr. (Lib-46)
Cynthia Ball (D-49)
Graig R. Meyer, incumbent (D-50)
Jon Blum (D-53)
Kim Hargett (D-55)
Mary (Pricey) Harrison, incumbent (D-57)
Cecil Brockman, incumbent (D-60)
Lois Bohnsack (D-70)
Evelyn Terry, incumbent (D-71)
Earle Schecter (D-82)
John Wayne Kahl (D-84)
Vera Smith Reynolds (D-90)
Sue Counts (D-93)
Rochelle Rivas (D-103)
Peter Noris (D-104)
Connie Green-Johnson (D-105)
Carla Cunningham, incumbent (D-106)
Brian Turner, incumbent (D-116)
Maureen Mahan Copelof (D-113)
Susan C. Fisher, incumbent (D-114)
John Ager, incumbent (D-115)
Rhonda Cole Schandevel (D-118)

Four state House candidates said they oppose the ERA:

Elissa Fuchs (R-30)
Brian Irving (Lib-36)
David Ulmer (Lib-49)
Rena W. Turner, incumbent (R-84)

Two state House candidates said they were unsure about supporting the ERA:

Larry M. Bell, incumbent (D-21)
Lee Zachary, incumbent (R-73)

Among comments from ERA legislative candidate proponents, Senate candidate Toni Morris (D-19) indicated her support “because the rights of women are constantly being attacked.” House incumbent John Ager (D-115) stated, “The U.S. Constitution needs to protect explicitly the rights of all its citizens.” Earle Schecter (D-82) wrote, “Sadly, we need such an amendment now more than ever.”

U.S. Senate candidate Deborah Ross (D) pledged to cosponsor and support ERA legislation.

Four candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives responded to the questionnaire, all saying that they would cosponsor and vote for an ERA resolution:

David Price, incumbent (D-4)
Andy Millard (D-10)
Rick Bryson (D-11)
Alma Adams, incumbent (D-12)

April 12 ERA-NC Launch

March 10, 2016 by Audrey Muck 7 Comments

Join us for our formal launch event and panel discussion!

Tuesday, April 12, 2016
3:30 – 5:30 pm

Panel Discussion: “Why the ERA? Why now?”
followed by Reception

Wake Forest University
DeTamble Auditorium (Tribble Hall)
Winston-Salem, NC

We’re celebrating the formal launch of the Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance with a panel discussion featuring:

Dr. E. Faye Williams, National President and CEO of the National Congress of Black Women
NC Representative Evelyn Terry, District 71 (Forsyth County), co-sponsor of the ERA in the NC General Assembly 2015 term
Michael C. Pisapia, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Wake Forest University and author of the upcoming book, Educating a Nation: Gender, Federalism and the Rise of Women’s Political Authority
Marena Groll, Founder of NC 4 ERA

Immediately following the panel discussion, there will be a reception in the Tribble Hall Foyer. You can also buy a signed copy of “Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment Is Now” by Jessica Neuwirth, President of the ERA Coalition.

We are extremely grateful to the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department at Wake Forest University for sponsoring and hosting this event!

While the event is free and open to the public, seating in DeTamble Auditorium is very limited, so please fill out this form to reserve your seat!

You can download the event flyer here – please feel free to share and post widely!

If you are unfamiliar with the Wake Forest University campus, here is a link to the campus map (Tribble Hall is #13). Use this map to help locate where to park (General parking lots are pale orange).

If you register but then are unable to attend, we would appreciate it if you would let us know, just drop us an email at alerts@era-nc.org.

Thanks, and we’re looking forward to seeing you on April 12th!