Illinois Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment -- 36 Years After the Deadline
The Equal Rights Amendment
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
for those who might have missed this, some pictures of the ERA rally in springfelid iL 3 May 2018
http://www.sj-r.com/news/20180508/supporters-rally-at-capitol-in-support-of-era
Civil rights milestone or political theater? Equal Rights Amendment still divides some in the Southland
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Actress and model Lizzy Jagger, center, the eldest daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall, joins others at a rally in support of the Equal Rights Amendment on the steps of the Capitol Tuesday, May 8, 2018 in Springfield, Ill. (Rich Saal / AP)
Decades of statewide debate may have ended this week as the Illinois House voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, but what it means for the state and the country is still up in the air. While some in the Southland hailed the passage as a long-overdue civil rights victory that was fueled by the #MeToo movement, others said it amounted to little more than a symbolic gesture, though a positive step for a divisive legislature. Many doubt the U.S. Congress will take up the torch 45 years after it originally put the question of equality for women to the states. Illinois became the 37th state to pass it and 38 states are needed to ratify. Supporters are pinning their hopes on Virginia and North Carolina to join the effort and convince Congress to extend the ratification deadline, which came and went in 1982.
Despite changes in attitudes over the intervening years, many said the amendment still is needed and could become a political issue again in the November elections. After decades of effort in Illinois, ratification occurred when equality between genders and race is at the forefront of the national conversation, said David Golland, a Governors State University professor of history and civil rights historian. “Passing the ERA after all this would be a wonderful thing for this country to do,” he said, but he does not believe it will happen “any time soon.” “It is always a good idea to remind citizens as well as the rest of the nation that this is one of the unfinished pieces of the civil rights movement,” he said.
In a letter to the editor, the League of Women Voters of Illinois stated the group has “long supported the addition of these 22 words to our Constitution: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." It thanked the legislators who voted to “take our country one step closer to ensuring our granddaughters and grandsons will see that basic principle enshrined in our US Constitution.”
“I believe that women deserve equal rights. It’s that simple. It’s a shame they didn’t ratify it 30 years ago,” said state Senator Michael Hastings, D-Orland Hills, who supported it.
Illinois' Equal Rights Amendment fight The Illinois House voted on May 30, 2018, to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment more than 45 years after it was approved by Congress. The fight for the ERA has spanned decades with opponents contending the measure was aimed at ensuring an expansion of abortion rights and supporters saying it was needed to give women equal standing in the nation’s founding document. (Chicago Tribune)
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(a nice little slideshow of images of ERA actions at link below)
Illinois Ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment — 36 Years After the Deadline
A woman hold up a sign as members of Congress and representatives of women's groups hold a rally to mark the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) outside the U.S. Capitol March 22, 2012 in Washington, DC.
Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images
By Sarah Zimmerman / AP May 31, 2018
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — Illinois on Wednesday became the 37th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, putting the country only one state away from a landmark change to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing equal rights for women.
The historic passage was nearly half a century in the making, and came 38 years after supporters staged hunger strikes and floor sit-ins in a futile attempt to persuade the Illinois Legislature to OK the proposal by what was a congressionally set deadline.
The Illinois House approved the amendment 72-45 Wednesday. The Senate approved it 43-12 in April.
Rep. Lou Lang, the Skokie Democrat who sponsored the proposal, called the vote a historic moment for lawmakers to make a difference for women across the nation.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/daily-southtown/news/ct-sta-era-reaction-st-0603-story.html