Ep. 162: How To Make 2021 The Year Of The Equal Rights Amendment (w/ Rep. Jackie Speier)

After first being drafted in 1923 by two leaders of the women’s suffrage movement and then finally being passed by Congress in 1972, the century-long struggle to have the Equal Rights Amendment ratified and gender-equality enshrined in the U.S. Constitution is finally on the brink of succeeding. That's because in 2020, the state of Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the E.R.A. matching the two-thirds threshold needed to ratify a constitutional amendment. However, an arbitrary 7-year time limit on the 1972 legislation has provided one final hurdle that advocates for women's equality must overcome.

Rep. Jackie Speier of California has been leading the charge in Congress on the E.R.A. since she got there in 2013. The day after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were inaugurated, Rep. Speier reintroduced this bill to remove the arbitrary time limit and put the E.R.A. on the path to ratification. She joins Michael to discuss the roadmap for what we all need to do to make equal rights for women a reality.

Who to push to make sure we finally ratify the E.R.A. --

Call Your Senator:
202-224-3121
202-225-3121

The White House:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Take Action With The E.R.A. Coalition:
http://www.eracoalition.org/take-action

Music in the episode:
"You Don't Own Me" - Lesley Gore
https://open.spotify.com/track/0bKfZQu4RTTQlAZAGVLAcc

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