RESULTS FOR THESE FAMILIES FASTER IN DAYTONA BEACH. I’M CATHERINE SILVER GETTING
RESULTS. NEWS 6.
>> THANKS, CATHERINE. AS
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH WE’RE
TAKING A LOOK BACK AT THE
YEAR, 1923, 3 YEARS AFTER
WOMEN WON THE CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT TO VOTE. THE FIRST
VERSION OF THE EQUAL RIGHTS
AMENDMENT WAS PRESENTED AT THE
SENECA FALLS CONVENTION
PROBLEM IS DESPITE IT NOW BE
100 YEARS SINCE IT WAS
INTRODUCED, IT STILL HASN’T
FORMALLY BEEN ADDED TO THE
CONSTITUTION.
>> JULIE: THAT MEANS
TECHNICALLY EQUAL RIGHTS FOR
WOMEN AND OTHERS ARE NOT
PROTECTED UNDER THE
CONSTITUTION. SO I TALKED WITH
THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE E
R A COALITION AND FUND FOR
WOMEN’S EQUALITY. ZAKIYA
THOMAS ABOUT THE HISTORY OF
THE AMENDMENT AND THEIR
MISSION.
>> THE E R A COALITION IS A
ORGANIZATION THAT’S MADE UP OF
OVER 280 PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
THAT REPRESENT MOVEMENT OF
MOVEMENT. SO WE HAVE WE HAVE
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE IN OUR
MOVEMENT THAT WOMEN’S ISSUES,
LGBTQ ISSUES THE E R A AFRICAN
FOCUS GROUPS LIKE THE URBAN
LEAGUE AND WE ARE WE BIRCH,
8 MILLION PEOPLE ACROSS THE
COUNTRY AND WE ALL WORK
TOGETHER AND COME TOGETHER
BECAUSE WE UNDERSTAND THE
IMPORTANCE OF HAVING EQUALITY
ENSHRINED IN OUR CONSTITUTION.
>> AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I
WAS DOING SOME RESEARCH BEFORE
THIS AND I HAVE TO ADMIT, I
DID NOT REALIZE THAT THE NRA
WAS NOT ALREADY ENSHRINED IN
THE CONSTITUTION FIND SOME
OTHER PEOPLE IN THE NEWSROOM
AND THEY HAVE THE SAME
REACTION. YOU THINK A LOT OF
PEOPLE DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW
ABOUT THIS. SO YOU’RE IN GOOD
COMPANY. ABOUT 73% OF THE
COUNTRY THINGS THAT WE ALREADY
HAVE THE EQUAL RIGHTS
AMENDMENT AT INTO OUR
CONSTITUTION. AND THAT MAKES
SENSE. WE HAVE A PATCHWORK OF
LAWS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO
PROTECT AGAINST
DISCRIMINATION. BUT THE
PROBLEM WITH A LONGER PIECE OF
LEGISLATION AS IT CAN BE
ROLLED BACK AS WE SAW LAST
YEAR WITH A SUPREME COURT
DECISION BUT A CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT. IT HAS A HIGHER
LEVEL OF PROTECTION BECAUSE
IT’S MUCH HARDER TO GET AN
AMENDMENT ADDED TO THE
CONSTITUTION. SO IT’S MUCH
HARDER TO HAVE IT REMOVED,
WHICH MEANS THAT PROVIDES MORE
PROTECTION AGAINST
DISCRIMINATION. SO THE BIG
QUESTION IS, WHY ISN’T THIS
THINKING ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO
WAS PASSED BY CONGRESS IN A
BIPARTISAN EFFORT.
>> JULIE: AND SOME TO THE
STATES FOR RATIFICATION. BUT
ALL THE STATES NEEDED TO
RATIFY DIDN’T HAPPEN UNTIL
2020, WHICH WAS AFTER THE
ORIGINAL DEADLINE SET BY
CONGRESS. SINCE THEN, THERE
HAVE BEEN A LOT OF LEGAL
BATTLES BOTH FOR AND AGAINST
THE CERTIFICATION OF THE E R A
BUT THOMAS SAYS IT’S IMPORTANT
BECAUSE IT RIGHT AT ALL OF US.
>> ACRE RIGHTS AMENDMENT WOULD
EMPOWER CONGRESS TO CREATE
LAWS. AS I MENTIONED. BUT
LET’S LET’S TAKE A STEP BACK
AND THINK ABOUT THE BROADER
IMPLICATIONS AND THE PROMISE
OF THE GREAT AMENDMENT.
IMAGINE A WORLD IN WHICH MEN
AND WOMEN ARE PAID EQUALLY FOR
DOING THE SAME WORK WHERE
LGBTQ+ INDIVIDUALS AREN’T JUST
CANNOT BE DISCRIMINATED
AGAINST BECAUSE OF WHO THEY
ARE, WHERE MEN, WOMEN, ALL OF
US ARE TREATED EQUALLY ON THE
BASIS OF AND THE LAW DOES NOT
DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN US. AND
THAT’S REALLY THE PROMISE OF
EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT. AND
LET’S REMEMBER, IT COVERS ALL
OF US. ANYONE CAN BE
DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BASED ON
THEIR. AND THAT’S WHY WE NEED
THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
BECAUSE IT’S IMPERATIVE TO
MAKE SURE THAT OUR RIGHTS ARE
PROTECTED FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS.
>> JULIE: OF COURSE, EQUALITY
FOR WOMEN HAS MADE LEAPS AND
BOUNDS AND A LOT OF WAYS OVER
THESE LAST 100 YEARS SINCE IT
WAS FIRST INTRODUCED, WE HAVE
HIGH POWERED JOBS. WE’RE
ESSENTIALLY DOING EVERYTHING
MATTER DOING IN MOST
CIRCUMSTANCES. SO I ASKED
THOMAS, WHY HAVEN’T THE IN THE
CONSTITUTION SPECIFICALLY
MATTERED? WELL, WE ALREADY
HAVE MADE SO MANY
ADVANCEMENTS.
>> BRIDGETT: SO IN THE SUPREME
COURT DECISION LAST YEAR, WE
SAW THAT NOT ONLY ARE WOMEN’S
RIGHTS BEING UNDER ATTACK
UNDER ATTACK AT RISK OF BEING
ROLLED BACK. THERE ARE OTHER
RIGHTS THAT ARE ON THE TABLE
AS WELL. AND SO WE NEED TO
HAVE AN EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
SO THAT WE DON’T GO BACKWARDS.
SO WE’RE NOT BACK IN WORKING
FROM A CONSTITUTION FROM A
PERSPECTIVE THAT WAS WRITTEN
IN THE 18 60’S OR EVEN BEFORE
IN OUR FOUNDING. SO WE NEED TO
MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A
CONSTITUTION THAT REFLECTS A
SOCIETY IN WHICH WE LIVE TODAY
AND THAT PROTECTS
DISCRIMINATION BECAUSE WHEN
THE CONSTITUTION WAS
ORIGINALLY WRITTEN, MOST OF US
WEREN’T CONSIDERED IN THAT IN
THAT DOCUMENT. SO NOW IS OUR
TIME TO RECTIFY THAT MISTAKE.
MAKE SURE ALL OF US ARE
PROTECTED UNDER THE
CONSTITUTION.
>> JULIE: IF YOU’D LIKE TO
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY
OF THE AMENDMENT, THE R A
COALITION AND HOW YOU CAN GET