Women’s Equality Day is Sunday, August 26 and MN NOW is asking YOU to take three actions to promote the ERA. First, you can volunteer to pass out materials promoting the ERA at the State Fair on Women’s Equality Day (1). Second, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper for Equality Day, advising the public why the ERA is crucial and needs to be passed. Finally, gather your friends and host a viewing party of the film Equal Means Equal, or the updated 30-minute DVD version of the film, Legalize Equality. Join us and take one, two, or ALL three of these actions, to increase awareness of and garner support for passage of the ERA.
As you already know, neither the United States Constitution nor the MN Constitution guarantee equal rights for women. State and federal Equal Rights Amendments would increase and strengthen the legal remedies for sex discrimination and would increase the level of judicial scrutiny required to uphold governmental actions that treat men and women differently. Most significantly, passage of the ERA would assure that the rights affirmed by the U.S. Constitution, apply to all citizens equally, without regard to sex.
In honor of Women’s Equality Day, host a viewing party of the new DVD, Legalize Equality. Equal Means Equal is a film documentary by Kamala Lopez that examines and reveals how women are truly treated unequally in the United States in all areas, including the workplace, the judicial system, and healthcare. (2) Legalize Equality is a short, streamlined 30-minute DVD version of the Equal Means Equal documentary. Legalize Equality includes updates on the current status of the ERA, new footage and commentary, and provides reasons why swift ratification of the ERA is so essential. Educating our friends, families, neighbors, and community about the unequal treatment of women will go a long way towards garnering support for the ERA. MN NOW purchased twelve copes of the DVD. These are now available for distribution to MN NOW chapters and members. We urge our chapters and members to send an email to [email protected] to obtain a copy of the DVD in the next few weeks. Then, on Women’s Equality Day, hold a viewing party in your home, library, or community center. You can even invite your local legislative representatives to encourage them to pass the ERA.
With Illinois ratifying the ERA this spring, we are just one state shy of making the amendment part of the United States Constitution. There is gathering momentum and support for passage of both a federal and Minnesota ERA. Help make this happen by taking actions on Women’s Equality Day.
1. https://mnnow.org/event/promote-era-at-the-mn-state-fair-on-august-26th-womens-equality-day/
