Pressure (Education) Is Key

Oh, my dear Virginia,

Del. Mark Cole used his chair on the Privileges and Elections Committee to block some of our key legislation from getting on the docket. We are not pleased.

Bi-Partisan Redistricting  &  Equal Rights Amendment

Cole can stymie democracy this way because the House of Delegates is controlled by folks who are very unfriendly to most of our policy agenda. Votes go along party lines. Policy good for everyone (except politicians) either never gets a hearing, or is dies like a rabbit in a box with a hawk.

We can change this, but it will take lots of work educating

our neighbors and friends, and co-workers, and strangers.

First, we need to find, support, and elect more candidates who stand with women. Several groups in Virginia will gladly help you, or a friend, get prepared to run.

The Farm Team, Emerge Virginia, Camp Wellstone

Second, those candidates need voters to vote for them.

Members of the Virginia Women’s Equality Coalition are pretty sure that most voters have no idea that the Equal Rights Amendment was never ratified.

Can I ask you to write letters to the editor this year?

Can we change the voters’ perceptions by November?

These regional newspapers cover areas with conservative 
representation, and a fairly liberal population. We need to bring the pressure here.

• Richmond Times-Dispatch
• Fredericksburg Freelance-Star
• Roanoke Times

Here’s a modular sample letter.

(*) Please adapt and modify, cut and shape, totally rewrite. This one letter contains all the major arguments. You don’t have to use them all at once.

(*) If our letters sound exactly a like, editors will just start ignoring us.

 

(*) Plus, this is way too long. You want about 300 words, maximum. Just wanted all your toys in one box. 😉

Title 1 :   Equal Rights Amendment Misconceptions

Title 2 :   Women, You Are not in the Constitution!

Title 3 :   Where Do Our Delegates Stand on Equal Rights?

Most Americans think the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is law. It is not. While it did pass the Congress in 1972, something like eight votes in Virginia, Illinois, and Florida denied ratification in 1981 and ’82. A sundown provision in the Congressional bill prevent ratification after 1982. This provision is highly unusual, and not binding on future actions of the Congress.

A strong movement is working to lift it while also seeking ratification in any three of the fifteen unratified states. Some state representatives claim they’re waiting for Congress to lift the sundown, while Congress claims it’s waiting for the states to ratify and give them a reason to lift it. This leaves women in a civic limbo that negatively affects our income, our career advancement, health insurance, retirement savings, and the well being of our children and communities.

Some think the 14th Amendment covers women. It explicitly does not. It includes only “male citizens” and “male inhabitants” in constitutional protections. Hence, the need for the 19th Amendment enfranchising women with the vote. Neither Justice Ginsberg nor Justice Scalia interprets the 14th Amendment to cover women.

The ERA means no need for further laws on equal pay, and moves the burden of proof in wage discrimination cases to the employer. It means an end to employment discrimination. It means at least 23% more wages, increased 401(k) contributions and Social Security savings for retirement. That’s fewer senior women in poverty. The ERA means fewer children in poverty, thanks to mothers’ increased wages. That’s increased learning outcomes for children. It means similar, likely much greater, increases for women and communities of color and LGBTQIA women.

As an amendment, the ERA cannot be easily changed by Congress or the Court. It lends lasting strength to the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, as well as to the several Equal Pay acts and the patchwork of laws that are the rag doll women’s citizenship. It means fair coverage in health insurance, no matter what happens with the Affordable Care Act. The ERA means equality for every woman and all women, no matter how the political winds blow.

Ask your members in the General Assembly where they stand on the ERA. Thanks to one member’s refusal to docket the bill, we never got a chance to see where our delegates stand on the humanity of women.

Your Name, City, State

(*) .|. (*) .|. (*)

Many other papers could use some attention too. Here’s most of the newspapers in the state.

Don’t worry, we’ll come back to the Delegates and the Congress. And you can reach out to them any time. Just visit the blog.

(*)   (*)   (*) 

 

For women!

Simone Roberts

Web Editor / Historian / ERA Coordinator

VA NOW and its

VIRGINIA ERA NETWORK

Tagged: #DemandERA, #RatifyERA, #VAyesERA, Alliance, Civil Rights, Direct Advocacy, ERA, Feminism, General Assembly, Letter to the Editor, National Organization for Women