State Senator Wiley Nickel announced he is joining an ERA discharge petition sponsored by Sen. Erica Smith. Thank you, Senators!
Today I joined Democratic Senators in signing a discharge petition for a constitutional amendment to Ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
Since it’s introduction in 1972, 37 states have ratified the ERA, and North Carolina can be the final state needed to amend the constitution. Again, we only need ONE more state to ratify the ERA before it can become the law of the land and guarantee equal rights to all women in the United States of America.
I also signed a discharge petition for SB 660, bill to prevent workplace harassment at the North Carolina General Assembly. Senator Erica Smith put forward both discharge petitions.
The Republicans in the NC Senate have done absolutely NOTHING on these two bills. A discharge petition is the only mechanism left to try and (a) force consideration and debate on these two bills and (b) put those on record who support or oppose the bills so their constituents (and voters) can know where they stand. Our ridiculous rules in the Senate require signatures from 60% of the body in order to force a vote on a bill. Democrats have 21 seats or 42% of the chamber and we need nine Republicans in addition to all 21 Democrats to force the votes. This is the only avenue we have remaining. If you know ANY Republicans in the Senate please encourage them to sign these discharge petitions.
Nine Republicans in the NC Senate are essentially the only thing holding back this major US Constitutional Amendment for women’s equality.
From our sister unratified state, Virginia, here’s a photo from their i-Scream for Equality campaign, which provides ERA information and free ice cream to Virginians:
This fine editorial appeared in the Raleigh News & Observer and also in the Charlotte Observer. https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article234517062.htmlhttps://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/article234517062.html
On August 22, Black Women’s Equal Pay Day was observed. According to an update from the American Association of University Women, this day recognizes that black women must work almost 9 extra months into 2019 to take home what a man did in just 12 months in 2018. Facing racism, sexism, and the intersection of the two, black women typically take home only 61 cents for every dollar paid to a white man.
The Equal Rights Amendment would provide constitutional protection against this kind of gender inequity.
When American women won the right to vote — a milestone commemorated on Women’s Equality Day, which marks the anniversary of the Aug. 26, 1920 certification that the 19th Amendment had been ratified — it was just one part of an even larger fight for equality. From Mary Church Terrell’s endeavors to make sure African-American women were included in the fight for suffrage, to Margaret Sanger’s work to promote access to birth control, to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s efforts to eliminate sex discrimination in the law, women before and after that day in 1920 have fought for wider rights.
