”Joe, before you go, #PublishEquality”

(November 21, 2024)  Join the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center (MWHC) to tell President Joe Biden to finally make the 28th Amendment a part of the United States Constitution. 

President Biden can make it happen with one phone call. Before he leaves office, he simply has to call Dr. Colleen Joy Shogan, Archivist of the United States, and direct her to publish the amendment in the US Constitution. That’s it! 

What’s the issue?  

Incredibly, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is not yet a part of the Constitution and time is running out. The ERA guarantees equal legal rights for women by prohibiting sex discrimination under the law. First introduced in 1923, there was new effort to pass the amendment in the 1970s and is still ongoing.

ERA could potentially provide a stronger legal foundation for gender equality in court cases that involve employment discrimination, sexual harassment in the military, medical and safety research methods, law enforcement protocols, sexual assault, protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and more.

Many of the women and men who have fought for equal rights for decades are no longer with us. Honor them!

Tell President Biden: ”Joe, before you go, #PublishEquality”

What to do NOW: 

1. Ask your mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends and colleagues to call or email the White House with the message “Publish the already ratified ERA, Mr. President.” The number is 202-456-1111. Calls accepted 11am-3pm Tuesdays-Thursdays. Other days, send an email: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.
2. Watch RATIFIED! It documents the multi-racial, multi-generational activists who joined forces to ensure that Virginia became the 38th and final state needed to ratify the 28th amendment. Details here.
3. Gather a crowd and start a postcard campaign. Details at https://voteequality.us/activate/write4rights/. Mail on December 10th, the 101st anniversary of when the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced to Congress. Address to President Joseph Biden, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500
4. Post messages on your social media accounts. Find Fast Facts (scroll down.) 
5. Join (in person or remotely) Black Friday A Day of Observance at the National Archives, when Vote Equality honors the gender equality warriors who did not live to see ERA publication and to urge the Archivist to publish the Amendment into law. 
   

   
   When fully ratified, 28th Amendment (Equal Rights) will be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. America will be one step closer to delivering on its promise of liberty and justice for all. 

   Need some inspiration?

   Meet Maryland’s foremothers who fought for the right to vote and, later, for voting rights for all in MWHC’s gallery The Valiant Women of Maryland.

   The ERA sets a vision that liberty and justice is for all persons. Over 165 constitutions worldwide include gender equality and so should ours.

   Questions

   There are still questions about the Equal Rights Amendment from “How does this impact America’s large and small businesses?” to “How does this affect families?” to “Will women now be drafted?” to “Will women lose preferred consideration for government contracts?” VoteEquality has put together answers to these and other questions.