Action Alert

#Face the Music 4ERA

August 4, 2020 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

SAVE THE DATE for #FacetheMusic4ERA!

Join us on Women’s Equality Day to raise our voices with music & calls-to-action for racial and gender justice and to put gender equality into the US Constitution! ERA-NC Alliance is a proud co-sponsor of this event.

FaceTheMusic4ERA is a virtual music concert featuring an amazing line-up of artists and speakers from across the country celebrating how far the ERA has come and laying out concrete next steps to get the job done!

It’s an opportunity for organizations & activists to come together, celebrate our accomplishments and learn how you can help make the ERA the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution.

Stay tuned for artists and top ERA speakers to be announced soon!

Find the FB event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/894488094294679/

For national co-hosts & sponsors and event details visit: https://www.eramn.org/womens-equality-day-2020.html

EVENT DETAILS:

WHEN: August 26th, 2020

TIME: 5pm PST – 7pm CST – 8pm EST

WHERE: FaceBook Live & Online

WHY: Celebrate, educate, agitate & activate for the 28th Amendment, the ERA!

Dads for Equality Action Alert!

June 16, 2020 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

Here’s an action for Father’s Day! Download a postcard (or all four!) and share with all the Dads you know … and make the calls yourself to Senators Burr, Tillis and McConnell.


Download full-sized image here	Download full-sized image here


Download full-sized image here	Download full-sized image here

The contact information:

Sen. Thom Tillis
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
(202) 224-6342
www.tillis.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

Sen. Richard Burr
217 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3154 or (800) 685-8916
www.burr.senate.gov/contact

Sen. Mitch McConnell
317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2541

Congressional District Action Network

February 23, 2020 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

New NC Congressional Districts as of 2/2020 — Click here to view a larger PDF version.

The ERA ratification bills will be re-introduced in the NC General Assembly in 2021, and we want to be sure there’s a network in place to activate a rapid response effort to help us get the word out about any state or federal level movement.

We’re creating this action network to connect individual activists on the county level to leaders at the Congressional District level, and from there to our state leadership.

You can find out what district(s) you’re in – both federal and state – on the NC General Assembly website.

As a member of the network, you’ll contact your representatives to encourage and remind them to sign on to the bills as co-sponsors, and spread the word to other ERA activists in your county. You’ll identify other organizations you can work with in coalition, and take direct action, which could include marches, vigils, celebrations, festivals, art, film, social media campaigns, interviews, petitions, phone banking, letter writing, proclamations, and resolutions.

As a Congressional District leader, you’ll be at the intersection of state and local action. Some of the things you would do include identifying county contact persons for each county in your Congressional District, network with chapters of Lead and Member organizations in your district to assist in establishing action teams and county contacts, distribute information from the state Action Network Chair, and provide resources and coaching to the county activists on direct actions. More information is on the position description statement.

We need Congressional District leaders for districts 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10 and 13. Here’s a breakout of the counties in each district – those counties in green are split, but they’re marked in bold in the districts where they have a larger geographic area. Those in red are fairly evenly split between the two districts.

Learn more about the ERA, it’s history and the path to ratification, visit our Resources page.

To get the ball rolling in your county or Congressional District, please contact Ann Von Brock, or you can fill out this form:

County Contact Campaign

Full Name*

E-mail*

Street Address*

City, State, Zip*

County*

Congressional District

Phone

Comments?

Action Alert US Senate

February 19, 2020 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

CALL TO ACTION

On February 13, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 79 to remove the arbitrary time limit for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Now the battle moves to the Senate. And NOW is the time for you to phone, write, message, and text N.C. Senators Tillis and Burr with this clear, simple message:

Dear Sen. _____:

“Please vote ‘yes’ to remove the deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment by passing SJR 6. As your constituent, I strongly support equal rights for all and appreciate your voting ‘yes’ to drop the time limit. Thank you so much!!”

Contact information:

Senator Thom Tillis
113 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Phone Number: (202) 224-6342
Contact form for comments: www.tillis.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

Senator Richard Burr
217 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone Numbers: (202) 224-3154 or (800)685-8916
Contact form for comments: www.burr.senate.gov/contact/email

Constitution Day and the ERA

August 18, 2019 by Audrey Muck 3 Comments

ERA Billboard — Click to download high-resolution image.

Note to Press: you can also download the press release for this event.

The ERA-NC Alliance, AAUW-NC and NC NOW are launching a statewide ERA awareness campaign in advance of Constitution Day. Billboards, installed strategically across North Carolina (see locations below), will call for state ratification of the ERA. During the weeks leading up to Constitution Day on Sept. 17, advocates will promote ERA ratification with a series of activities, including an Instagram challenge.

The presidents of the three statewide organizations will jointly announce the campaign at a press conference August 22nd at 2 pm in the NC Legislative Building Press Room with state Sen. Floyd B. McKissick, Jr., and Rep. Carla Cunningham, the primary sponsors of ERA bills SB184 and HB271, respectively. Additional primary sponsors of the bills are Sens. Erica Smith and Terry Van Duyn, as well as Reps. Susan Fisher, Evelyn Terry and Julie von Haefen. You can watch the full press conference.

ERA bills SB184 and HB271 will continue to be viable until the end of the long General Assembly session. They are exempt from the crossover deadline.

Constitution Day is a federal holiday that recognizes the day the United States Constitution was adopted and signed by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17th, 1787; it also recognizes those who have become U.S. citizens. Federal agencies and all publicly-funded educational institutions are required to provide educational programming on the history of the Constitution on that day. This makes the day a perfect time to educate Americans that women are not equally protected under our constitution, and ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment will remedy that dire situation!

“An all-male panel wrote our constitution,” said Marena Groll, co-president of the ERA-NC Alliance. “Equality was a problem right out of the gate, and it’s something that has eluded us for more than 230 years.”

An ERA bill was introduced in Congress in 1923, but not passed until 1972. The amendment was then sent to the states for ratification. By the controversial 1982 deadline, 35 of the necessary 38 states had ratified. The ERA movement re-ignited in 2017, challenging the legitimacy of the deadline as Nevada became the 36th state to ratify, quickly followed by Illinois as the 37th the following year. North Carolina has the historic opportunity to become the 38th — and final — state necessary to ratify the ERA to guarantee equal rights for women and men under the U.S. Constitution, and our state’s efforts are being followed nationally.

“We are very excited about the new billboards,” said Gailya Paliga, president of NC NOW. “We hope they spark interest in the ERA as a fundamental legal remedy against sex discrimination for women and men.”

“What an honor if North Carolina will vote to ratify ERA and be the final state to approve Constitutional protection of equal rights for all Americans,” said Jane Terwillegar, president of AAUW North Carolina.

Find a billboard near you! Snap a photo of the billboards – even a selfie with them if you can do it safely – and share it on our Instagram page!

Here’s where they are (you can also download the locations with maps and photos):

WILMINGTON, NC: 426 S. COLLEGE RD 0.1 MI NORTH OF RANDALL PKWY
CONCORD, NC: HWY 29-601 @ HARTMAN
GREENSBORO, NC: COLISEUM SOUTH OF WEST GATE CITY BLVD
RALEIGH, NC: I-440 0.4 MI WEST OF US 401/NC50 (S SAUNDERS)

Organizations and members are encouraged to organize and participate in events and activities in the march up to Constitution Day, Sept 17 and during that week of Sept.15 – 21. Here are a bunch of fun ideas to get you started!

Photos from the press conference on August 22:

June Action for the ERA

June 14, 2019 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

The Equal Rights Amendment Bills, House Bill 271 and Senate Bill 184, are still active bills since constitutional amendments are exempt from crossover deadline. In the next few weeks, please escalate personal visits, emails, letters, and calls with your elected representatives and senators in the NC General Assembly. It needs to be a face-to-face visit, individualized mailing, or phone call.

First, if your representative or senator is a Republican, please express your insistence that he/she must get the ERA Bills out of committee with a favorable report because women’s rights are foundational to this country.

Second, if your representative or senator is a Democrat, he/she is already a co-sponsor of the ERA Bills, so thank them and express your insistence that they all step up efforts to champion equal rights and push the Committee Chairs to get the bills out of committee with favorable reports. Contact your legislators even if you know they are supportive; we need to get them moving on this.

Third, ERA activities in May included the Great 38th Clothesline Spectacle on the Halifax Mall. At the event, we displayed ERA support resolutions and petitions that you and your teams collected from across North Carolina to show state wide support for Equal Rights. To reinforce the depth of ERA support by local municipalities, organizations and individuals residing in their legislative district, please personally deliver or email your resolutions/petitions to your legislators. Visit our resolutions page to find a copy of the resolution from your community.

Fourth, make a note of what you learn from your visit/correspondence and pass it along to us (info@era-nc.org). I will make sure that your information is recorded on our ERA Legislative Report Cards. The report cards will be used to calculate votes for ERA and to target potential yes votes for action. I am keeping report cards for each legislator. If you need any help or additional information, please let me know.

Let’s show our elected officials what persistence looks like!

MAKE NC #38

April 14, 2019 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

One More State. #38
Not One More Generation.

We’ve launched our MAKE NC #38 fundraising campaign and ask you to donate:

$3.80
$38.00
$380.00
$3,800.00

or any amount you wish to show your support of the ERA-NC Alliance’s efforts important work of education, advocacy and lobbying during this critical and urgent time.

Click the link to give online. It’s easy!

https://www.era-nc.org/donate-2/

Or send a check payable to ERA-NC Alliance and mail to:

ERA-NC Alliance
MAKE NC #38 Campaign
P. O. Box 20222
Winston-Salem, NC 27120

As a 501(c)4, donations to ERA-NC Alliance are not tax deductible, but we’re sure you’ll want to be part of our MAKE NC #38 Campaign!

Make Calls on March 5th

March 3, 2019 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

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!):

There will never be equal rights in this country until all laws apply to citizens regardless of their sex.
The laws we thought might protect women have not been strictly applied.
Families’ very economic survival depends on non-discrimination in hiring, paying, promoting, and providing a safe working environment for everyone, including women.
North Carolina should be the 38^th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
The bill to ratify the ERA is being introduced on March 5^th. Once introduced, there is a very short time for legislators to sign on as co-sponsors. We urge you to indicate your support as soon as possible. Please visit the NCGA Dashboard to digitally co-sponsor the ERA ratification bills that were filed today (March 5).
If you are on the committee where the bill lands, we urge you to:
- request a public hearing on the bill
- pass it out of committee with a favorable report
- call for this bill to come up for a vote!

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!

EVENT: MARCH 5th AT THE NCGA

February 20, 2019 by Audrey Muck Leave a Comment

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.

Senator Floyd B. McKissick Jr. and Representative Carla Cunningham will introduce bills to ratify the ERA in both the NC House and Senate on March 5th, and you’re welcome to join us! (If you can’t join us in Raleigh, scroll down for other ways you can participate!)

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:

Advocates to distribute materials to legislators
Advocates to serve as a presence in the House and Senate galleries
Silent Sentinels in ERA apparel to flank doors of leadership offices and building entrance steps throughout the afternoon.
Volunteers to bring signs and fill the lawn and General Assembly.

Join our Facebook event and let us know you’re coming!

Schedule of Events:

12:30 p.m. Advocates gather for instructions on the First Floor in the 1300 quadrant to the left as you enter the NCGA building, Jones Street entrance.
1:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Press conference in Press Room, 1300 quadrant, to announce filing of ERA bills.
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Advocates distribute ERA materials to legislators and ask them to co-sponsor bills.
4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Advocates may seat themselves in the House and Senate galleries. The presence of ERA Advocates will be announced by legislators from the floor in both chambers.

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

Please share this invitation with everyone you know! See you there.

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!

Postcards

February 16, 2019 by Audrey Muck 3 Comments

Use these postcards to stay in contact with your NC state representatives. Host a postcard party with your friends and neighbors! Keep letting them know that North Carolinians want constitutional equality for women and men.

Our Guide can be used to determine which lawmakers you should contact as a priority and what points you should make: 2019 Postcard and Call Guide

Just in time for Mother’s Day advocacy – Make Mama Happy postcards!
Our previous postcards are available as a downloadable PDF sheet of four postcards – the front and back sheets are below.

2019 postcard 4-up front

2019 postcard 4-up back

Postcards can be sent to the NC Speaker of the House, NC Senate President Pro-tempore, and any legislator that represents one of your members.

Here’s where you’ll find contact information for the NCGA leadership: