CONTACT
Tonita Perry, APR, tperry@ncnw.org, 704-965-6956
Dr. Erica Southerland, APR, esoutherland@ncnw.org, 771-216-5957
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
It’s a Five-Alarm Fire: President Biden Must
Publish the Equal Rights Amendment
NCNW Joins Shattering Glass and the League of Women Voters Who Lead 143 Organizations in Urgently Calling on
President Biden to Publish the Equal Rights Amendment Immediately to
Protect Fundamental Rights From Imminent Threats
(WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 16, 2024) — National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) joins Shattering Glass and the League of Women Voters who lead total of 143 organizations and professional associations from across the country in calling on President Biden to instruct the US Archivist (“Archivist”) to publish the Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution.
The ERA was originally introduced in Congress on December 10, 1923, passed overwhelming by Congress in 1972, and ratified and became the 28th Amendment on December 27, 2020. However, the ERA has yet to be included in the Constitution.
This letter is the most diverse push yet to pressure the President to ensure the Archivist performs her ministerial duty to print a revised Constitution that includes the ERA. The signatories include gender
and racial justice organizations, reproductive justice organizations and abortion funds, democracy and voting focused organizations, medical, legal, and other professional associations, faith leaders and more from across the country. This diversity reflects the urgent need for the ERA, which is “essential for the restoration of reproductive rights and health care in our country, the enforcement of existing federal anti-discrimination laws, and the health of our democracy.”
There is a very real and substantial risk that (1) the incoming Administration effectively institutes a national abortion ban on day one by immediately enforcing the Comstock Act, and (2) the US Supreme Court soon will strip women, girls and the LGBTQIA+ community of 14th Amendment equal protection, leaving more than half of Americans (for generations to come) defenseless against sex discrimination. The ERA is the most powerful tool available to stop these imminent threats.
Shattering Glass has worked closely with Senator Gillibrand and Congresswoman Bush to push for ERA Publication. This letter from 143 organizations comes on the heels of two recent letters from
Congress – a letter from 46 Senators led by Senator Gillibrand, and a letter from 122 US Representatives led by Congresswoman Bush – each urging the President to direct the US Archivist to publish the ERA immediately.
Notably, the American Constitution Society states “The Equal Rights Amendment is critical to addressing a founding failure of our Constitution – its silence on gender equality. Thirty-eight states
have acknowledged this founding failure and ratified the ERA in accordance with Article V of the Constitution. The American Constitution Society urges the Biden Administration to finish the work
of generations of women and allies in redressing this unacceptable omission.”
“We must act now to affirm gender equality as a fundamental right in our US Constitution,” said Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “The equity clock for action is ticking — the Equal Rights Amendment is not just a symbolic measure — it’s a necessary safeguard to ensure equal treatment and opportunities for all Americans.”
Susan Thompson Hingle, President of the American Medical Women’s Association, added “The American Medical Women’s Association supports the publication of the Equal Rights Amendment. Since 1915, AMWA has been a staunch advocate for equity for women and the ERA is an important, effective, tool necessary to enshrine equal protection for all.”
“The incredible number and diversity of organizations uniting to urge President Biden to publish the ERA is a blaring siren calling out the ERA is desperately needed to meet the moment,” said Nicole
Vorrasi Bates, Founder and Executive Director of Shattering Glass. “This is a five-alarm fire. We simply cannot wait any longer. It is time for immediate action, and we are counting on President Biden to get it done.”
The full letter and a complete list of signatories may be found HERE.
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