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A coalition of American businesses are voicing their support for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Since January, the fate of the Equal Rights Amendment—now ratified by the required three-fourths of the 50 U.S. states—has been tied up in court. Now 93 companies are voicing their support for the constitutional amendment guaranteeing gender equality.
The companies, which span tech, finance, sports, and a host of other industries, this week submitted an amicus brief in the case Virginia v. Ferriero. Virginia, the most recent state to ratify the ERA, and fellow recent ratifiers Illinois and Nevada, brought the suit against U.S. archivist David Ferriero, whose job it would be to do the technical work of adding the amendment to the Constitution (he has not done so per guidance from the Justice Department).
Signatories of an amicus brief filed Monday include tech companies such as Apple, Airbnb, Google, Twitter, Uber, and WeWork; financial firms like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley; businesses like Hershey, PepsiCo, Diageo, and Estée Lauder; and athletic leagues including the NFL, U.S. Soccer, and the National Women's Soccer League.
The companies make a simple argument: The ERA would be good for business. The signatories say that they are all deeply committed to the principles of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion—and to the ERA as a means of advancing those goals. (Some of the organizations on the list—like U.S. Soccer—have faced criticism related to issues like gender pay equity.)
"[We] seek the full participation of women in the economy. Operating in a wide range of industries and markets and serving a diverse and multicultural customer base, [we] understand that diversity in the workplace drives business performance," the companies write. "A workforce that includes employees with different backgrounds and life experiences is essential for any business operating in a global economy and multicultural society."
The businesses tie the need for gender equality to the current COVID-19 pandemic. "The novel coronavirus pandemic, which has exposed and exacerbated systemic gender inequities in our society, demonstrates now, more than ever, the need for the ERA in the U.S. Constitution," they write. "It is painfully evident…that the need for sex equality has never been greater." They also note the greater challenges facing women of color.
The firms cite the impact that the U.S. Constitution's lack of a clear declaration of equality of the sexes has on their companies. "The socioeconomic and legal challenges facing women due to gender inequality directly impact businesses in their efforts to recruit and retain women employees and access new markets, making it harder for American businesses to succeed," they write.
Their brief will be considered in a case that will decide the ultimate fate of this round of the fight for the ERA. Barring a change in administration in Washington in 2021, and a Justice Department that directs the U.S. archivist to move forward with this 28th amendment, this case will determine whether the ERA as ratified advances—or has to start from scratch.
This particular legal battle began in January, when Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the long-sought Equal Rights Amendment. Once a bipartisan effort, the amendment guaranteeing equality of rights under the law regardless of sex became a flashpoint for the emerging culture wars in the 1970s. Congress had imposed a 1982 deadline for achieving ratification in 38 states; whether that deadline was legitimate–and whether its expiration prevents these 38 states' ratification from qualifying the amendment to be added to the Constitution—is the question at the center of this lawsuit.
Feminist leaders, Democratic lawmakers, and a broad swath of the American public don't want to see that 1982 deadline enforced. A February poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that three-quarters of Americans support the amendment. Corporate America joining their ranks could influence the ERA's outcome.
"It does demonstrate broad support in the culture for the Equal Rights Amendment and recognizing gender equality as a foundational principle in this country," says Emily Martin, vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women's Law Center. "It's important context that could influence a court in thinking about what ratification of the ERA means today."
On the night of April 26, 1777, 16-year-old Sybil Ludington climbed onto her horse and set off on a mission: a 40-mile ride to muster local militia troops in response to a British attack on the town of Danbury, Connecticut. Riding all night through rain — and traveling twice the distance that Paul Revere rode during his famous midnight ride — Sybil returned home at dawn having given nearly the entire regiment of 400 Colonial troops the order to assemble. Following the battle, General George Washington personally thanked Sybil for her service and bravery. Although every American school child knows the story of Paul Revere — largely thanks to the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — unfortunately few are taught about Sybil Ludington's courageous feat.
Born in 1761 in Fredericksbug, New York, Sybil Ludington was the oldest of Colonel Ludington's twelve children. His militia troops had disbanded for the planting season when word came that British troops were marching towards Danbury, Connecticut, where the Continental Army had a supply depot. While her father planned their response, Sybil volunteered to rally the militia following her father's instruction to "ride to the men, and tell them to be at his house by daybreak."
It was 9 pm, already dark and raining heavily, when she mounted her horse, Star, and set off through Putnam County, New York. She rode from her family's farm in Kent, south to the village of Carmel, down to Mahopac, then west to Mahopac Falls, north to Kent Cliffs and Farmers Mills; from there, she rode further north to Stormville before returning south to the farm. As she rode 40 miles through the night mustering the militia, she used a stick to bang on the shutters of neighbors' homes, yelling "The British are burning Danbury!" By the time she returned home, exhausted and soaked to the skin, most of the four hundred soldiers were on their way.
While Colonel Ludington's troops could not save Danbury from being burned, they joined forces with the Continental Army at the Battle of Ridgefield the following day. The American forces drove General William Tryon, the British governor of New York, back to the British fleet at Long Island Sound, halting their advance and protecting more American cities from attack. The British raid also led to a surge of support for the Patriot cause, and 3,000 local residents joined the Connecticut Army of Reserve soon after the British sailed away.
Following her daring nighttime ride, Sybil was thanked for her heroism and service by grateful neighbors and by General George Washington, then Commander of the Continental Army. Unlike Paul Revere, whose name became universally known thanks to Longfellow's poem, Sybil's ride had been mostly forgotten by her death in 1839 at the age of 77. In 1907, however, Ludington's great-nephew Louis S. Patrick wrote an account of her ride, which piqued interest in this unsung Revolutionary War figure.
In 1935, New York State erected a series of historic markers along her route, and a statue of her by renowned American sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington was erected in Carmel, New York in 1961. In 1975, she was honored on a U.S. Bicentennial stamp that depicted her on her horse. And, since April 1979, runners have also challenged themselves with the Sybil Ludington 50K Run, an ultramarathon that approximates the route she traveled on her ride. While her 'midnight ride' has never been given the same recognition as that of her famous contemporary, Sybil Ludington's place in history is now secure and her story is a powerful reminder of the many daring girls and women who served their country during the fight for independence.
Posted on April 26, 2020
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but then immediately get defensive when someone makes a negative statement about law enforcement in this country.
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but fail to call out your friends and family when they make racist jokes/statements.
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but also clutch your pearls at athletes kneeling during the national anthem.
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but support political candidates whose policies are detrimental to people of color (hint: most of them).
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but get uncomfortable when people discuss institutional racism or, even worse, say you’d prefer not to discuss such “political” topics.
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but deny the existence of white privilege.
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but backpedal and claim “we don’t know the full story” in other instances of police brutality.
Don’t express outrage over George Floyd’s murder but then get upset when people of color protest against the injustices that have plagued their communities since the dawn of America.
Above all, don’t express *shock* over George Floyd’s murder. If you’re at all surprised that such a terrible thing could happen in this country then, clearly, you haven’t been paying attention.
My fellow white people: harness that horrified feeling you got when you first learned about George’s murder. Use it to motivate you to do better for your fellow countrymen.
Express outrage over George Floyd’s murder — absolutely. But don’t express it and then move on. Educate yourself on institutional racism and encourage other white people to do the same. Use your privilege for good and continue to speak out when you witness injustice. Silence is complacence.
Madeline Phaby May 30, 2020
#womensvoicesmedia
Let’s begin with what President John F. Kennedy had to say about a “Liberal”.
John F. Kennedy defined a liberal as follows:[19][20]
If by a "Liberal" they mean someone who looks ahead and not behind, someone who welcomes new ideas without rigid reactions, someone who cares about the welfare of the people—their health, their housing, their schools, their jobs, their civil rights, and their civil liberties—someone who believes we can break through the stalemate and suspicions that grip us in our policies abroad, if that is what they mean by a "Liberal", then I'm proud to say I'm a "Liberal".
- Eric Alterman, Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America(2008) p. 32
- ^Authur M. Schlesinger, Jr., A Thousand Days, John F. Kennedy in the White House, p. 99, Mariner Books, 2002, ISBN 978-0-618-21927-8.
So while Republicans try to make “liberal” a dirty word by attaching to it every negative meaning they can dream up, we should look very hard at what it actually does mean. We can do this by examining just what Liberals/Democrats/Progressives have done for us.
To help us in this endeavor attached is a list created by Delaware Dem, an online contributor to Daily Kos. He admits the list may not be complete. Feel free to comment if you believe there are errors or omissions. I caution you the list is not a short read.
- The GI Bill
- Endangered Species Act
- Environmental Laws
- The Space Program
- The Peace Corps
- Americorps
- The Civil Rights Movement
- Earned Income Tax Credit
- Family & Medical Leave Act
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Americans With Disabilities Act
- Freedom of Information Act
- Women's right to control their reproductive future
- Allowing citizens to view their own credit records
- The Internet
- Balancing the federal budget
- The Brady Bill (5-day wait on handgun purchases for background checks)
- Lobbying Disclosure Act
- "Motor-Voter" Act
- The Voting Rights Act
- Unemployment Insurance
- Medicare/Medicaid
- Food Stamps/WIC
- Social Security
- Peace between Israel and Egypt
- Peace between Israel and Jordan
- The Department of Education
- The Department of Energy
- The Department of Transportation
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Labor Laws
- The Marshall Plan
- Winning World War II
- Food Safety Laws
- Workplace Safety Laws
- The Tennessee Valley Project
- The Civilian Conservation Corps
- The Securites and Exchange Commission
- Women's Right to Vote
- Universal Public Education
- National Weather Service
- Product Labeling Laws
- Truth in Advertising Laws
- Morrill Land Grant Act
- Rural Electrification
- Public Universities
- Bank Deposit Insurance (FDIC)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Public Broadcasting
- Supporting the establishment of Israel
- The United Nations
- NATO
- The GI Bill
- Endangered Species Act
- Environmental Laws
- The Space Program
- The Peace Corps
- Americorps
- The Civil Rights Movement
- Earned Income Tax Credit
- Family & Medical Leave Act
- Consumer Product Safety Commission
- Americans With Disabilities Act
- Freedom of Information Act
- Women's right to control their reproductive future
- Allowing citizens to view their own credit records
- The Internet
- Balancing the federal budget
- The Brady Bill (5-day wait on handgun purchases for background checks)
- Lobbying Disclosure Act
- The Voting Rights Act
- Unemployment Insurance
- Medicare/Medicaid
- Food Stamps/WIC
- Social Security
- Peace between Israel and Egypt
- Peace between Israel and Jordan
- The Department of Education
- The Department of Energy
- The Department of Transportation
- The Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Labor Laws
- The Marshall Plan
- Winning World War II
- Food Safety Laws
- Workplace Safety Laws
- The Tennessee Valley Project
- The Civilian Conservation Corps
- The Securites and Exchange Commission
- Women's Right to Vote
- Universal Public Education
- National Weather Service
- Product Labeling Laws
- Truth in Advertising Laws
- Morrill Land Grant Act
- Rural Electrification
- Public Universities
- Bank Deposit Insurance (FDIC)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Public Broadcasting
- Supporting the establishment of Israel
- The United Nations
- NATO
Now what would you answer to the question “What have liberals done for us?” In the context of what is going on in our country today, ask yourself what can Liberals/Democrats/Progressives do for you/us. You know the answer. Now commit yourself to do everything you can to make sure this madness in the Trump administration stops.
First, make sure you are registered to vote. Sign up to receive an absentee ballot, if you feel more comfortable voting that way. If your state has stipulations making it difficult to get an absentee ballot, join in the effort to pressure your state to remove these obstacles. Then come election time VOTE! Between now & then find ways you can make sure millions of others vote.
If you need additional inspiration to get you to use your time & energy for the effort, read the list again. As you do, pay attention to how many of these are threatened for elimination, already gutted and/or deprived of adequate funding by the Republicans in power.
Here are a few, but by no means all, organizations that are hard at work on efforts to take back our democracy in November.
Vote.org; emilyslist.org; moveon.org; commondreams.org; commoncause.org; pfaw.org; votevets.org.
There are things you can do from the safety of your home. These activities can help take back the White House and Congress while giving new meaning to your fight against COVID-19 by staying home.