On August 13, Roberta Madden addressed the Swannanoa Vally Friends Meeting at their monthly Women’s Dinner about the importance of ratifiying the Equal Rights Amendment. She described North Carolina’s 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.
| Billboard Unveiling Press Conference Launch Constitution Day Campaign for ERA The ERA-NC Alliance, AAUW-NC and NC NOW will join Equal Rights Amendment bill sponsors on Thursday, Aug. 22, at 2 p.m. for a press conference to launch a statewide ERA awareness campaign in advance of Constitution Day. The conference will feature the unveiling of billboards that have been installed across North Carolina calling for ratification of the ERA. The launch will take place in the press conference room of the General Assembly Legislative Building, 16 W. Jones St., Raleigh. We invite you to let us know you will be attending the press conference here on Facebook. Be sure to share the event! The presidents of the three statewide organizations will jointly announce the campaign with state Sen. Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. and Rep. Carla Cunningham, the primary sponsors of ERA bills SB184 and HB 271, respectively. Additional primary sponsors of the senate and house bills are Sens. Erica Smith and Terry Van Duyn and Reps. Susan Fisher, Evelyn Terry and Julie von Haefen. |
https://mailchi.mp/dd24e4c23e2a/the-state-of-things-is-era-2023673?e=e6dc0cc5d7
The following article about Roberta Madden, ERA activist, was published in the Black Mountain (NC) News on July 17, 2019:
More and more members of Congress are signing on to legislation to eliminate the deadline for ERA ratification. Now 191 House members are cosponsors.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hjres38?utm_campaign=govtrack_email_upd
ERA portion of Gina Collias’ speech for the May 12th Commencement Speech for the UNC Chapel Hill Political Science Department.
“Similar to how we can change and make laws in our communities, we have more work to do on a national level. MLK believed in equality, but women cannot have true equality without autonomy over themselves. In the documentary “RBG,” Ruth Bader Ginsburg quoted Charleston native Sarah Grimke, an abolitionist and early feminist, who said in 1837… “I ask no favors for my sex… All I ask of our brethren, is that they will take their feet from off our necks.”
Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the women’s right to vote, but we still do not have equal rights under the Constitution. Many young people have a false sense of security that the courts will give the proper scrutiny to issues involving women. Currently, the courts do not. The Equal Rights Amendment would guarantee that laws cannot discriminate based on gender and would require judges to use strict scrutiny in case review. North Carolina has the opportunity to be the last state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. You can make a difference by calling or emailing your representatives. We need the ERA, so that gender discrimination issues are given the same level of strict scrutiny, that racial discrimination receives under the law. We must continue this fight for all women.”https://www.ginacolliasforcongress.com/media-blog/uncpoliticalsciencecommencement
Volunteers at the event promoting the ERA were, from left, Linda Stover, Roberta Madden, Lynne Joshi, and Ellen Perry.
Roberta Madden invites participants to sign postcards to legislative leaders urging a hearing on the ERA.
ttps://www.nevadacurrent.com/blog/spearman-testifies-to-congressional-panel-on-era/?fbclid=IwAR25CUf33DYEmEM-zZIc7fAirQ2NZODQUMhCy9CJWQ4ZW0-fK3r1KT8_m_g
The Winston-Salem Journal reported on the events surrounding introduction of the ERA bills:
