Women's March Chicago Organizers Endorse Ratification by Illinois of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U. S. Constitution

CHICAGO, May 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Constitution does not provide specific protections for women, and Women's March Chicago organizers are seeking to change that.  The resurgence in the women's movement revived the decades-old fight to ratify a constitutional amendment which affords equal rights to women. Organizers have been working for months as part of the large coalitions ERA Illinois and RatifyERAIL in an effort to push the measure toward ratification.

The amendment has been ratified by 36 of the requisite 38 states.  After easily passing through the Illinois Senate last month, SJRCA 4, or the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is currently under consideration by the Illinois House of Representatives.  The measure reads, in full: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."

Women's March Chicago's Board of Directors issued the following unequivocal endorsement: "Women have marched around the world seeking equal rights.  Our March to the Polls Campaign for 2018 has been focused on harnessing the power and energy of the 2017 and 2018 marches into real and lasting progress for all women.  Ratifying the ERA in Illinois advances that goal.  The ERA recognizes the fundamental personhood of women; a concept which is long overdue and should not be controversial or partisan.  We endorse SJRCA 4 in full and will keep marching until it is passed.  We encourage the members of the Illinois House of Representatives to call the measure for a vote and to cast their ballots in support of the SJRCA 4 without delay."

"Our community engages around this topic with incredible energy," according to Women's March Chicago Social Media Director, Emily Kraiem.  "The passion behind passage of the ERA is reflected in our post engagement.  All social media channels have been on fire since the ERA passed out of the house." 

In an effort to harness this energy and bolster support for the ERA while it is being considered by the Illinois House, organizers are launching a new social media campaign.  Supporters of the ERA are asked to write testimonials about what the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment means to them using the hashtags #whyERAillinois and #ERAyes.

Women's March Chicago's Executive Director Claire Shingler is excited to see what the project yields.  "There is an intergenerational component to the passage of the ERA which mirrors the participation in our marches.  When we host an action, every age group is represented from the tiniest of infants to their great-grandmothers.  The common thread within our community is that we all believe that women deserve equality.  We are proud to endorse an amendment that women have been seeking since the 1920s."

Organizers encourage supporters to prepare proponent witness slips and to keep an eye on the upcoming House Committee hearing set for May 16, 2018.  For more information about the status of the amendment, which organizers hope will be put to a vote this week, please visit: http://ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=4&GAID=14&GA=100&DocTypeID=SJRCA&LegID=99262&SessionID=91 or womensmarchchicago.org.

SOURCE Women’s March Chicago

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