ERA Convention.
In July 2023, Caroline Lewis, my daughter, and I attended the 100th Anniversary of the unveiling of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in Seneca Falls, New York. The 1923 version was amended in 1943. In 1973, the amended version passed one of the Art. V hurdles required to be part of the US Constitution, when it was approved through Congress, and was sent to the states for ratification. Section one of the ERA is as follows:
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
The next Art. V Constitutional hurdle was ratification by 38 states, which was done when Virginia ratified in January 2020. Thus, the ERA has passed all constitutional requirements, and should be published and recognized as a part of the US Constitution.
Why hasn’t it been recognized? Feel free to comment as to your opinion on this question. We learned so many theories; I’m curious as to others’ thoughts. Or, if you’ve never thought about this or thought it was already in the constitution please share. We have to start discussing this everywhere.
Caroline J. Lewis and Leah T. Rudnicki
So back to Seneca Falls, Ella, Caroline, and I were the only attendees currently living in Oklahoma, and I could not find any record of another Oklahoman attending the same convention in 1923. Yet, many organizations and individuals across the US gathered outside the same church from 100 years ago in a small town in upstate New York to recreate the 1923 photo. The three Okies stood in very back of the photo and since (as was pointed out to me recently) I’m the size of a Hobbit, you can’t see us - though, we know we were there.
Why were two civil trial attorneys and a reluctant teen from OKC attending this epic historical event?
Although Oklahoma was the first state to reject the ERA’s ratification in 1972, US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) decisions provided protections and rights for women (and all people really through the 14th Amendment). The 2022 SCOTUS took that protection away through Dobbs and continues to do so. In Dobbs, SCOTUS majority opinion specifically said that if women wanted more rights than the right to vote, then they need to vote for those rights. To be clear, when Justice Alito wrote that, and President Biden referenced his writing the 2024 State of the Union Address, the people had already used our votes to secure the 28th amendment, through the 1973 passage and the 38th state ratifying in 2020, both of which the 2022 SCOTUS and President Biden ignored.
Now, you might be thinking, Leah is making this up. I’m not. This is real life and it is supremely messed up. And we need more people discussing it.
1923
1943
1973
2023
Now 2024. That’s a long time to fight for recognition in the US Constitution.
Activists, lawyers, professors are working to obtain recognition in all ways possible.
I don’t know the full extent of why the world aligned for the three of us to be present for the renewal/revival of the ERA Movement at the 100th Anniversary of the ERA and I’m excited to see where it takes us.
If you read this far, read those first 24 words of ERA again:
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Can you agree with that fundamental statement?
If you agree it should be a part of the constitution, go to www.sign4era.com to sign the petition.
If you don’t agree, I’m curious as to why not. This is not a party affiliation issue.
For more information about the ERA: