Sometimes we are lucky enough to be part of history, to fight for a cause that we believe in strongly. I was among many other local women who had that privilege some forty years ago, when Illinois was at the center of the fight for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
Although many people don’t realize it, the United States Constitution does not guarantee women equal justice under the law. The Equal Rights Amendment was introduced in Congress in 1922 to address that omission. It was reintroduced every year from 1923 to 1972, and finally passed Congress in 1972. Hopes were high that ratification would be swiftly accomplished before the seven-year deadline. Within the first year twenty-two states ratified, but progress then slowed, and by 1978 we were three states short of the 38 needed by 1979. This is when I, along with a small group of women, became involved by reconvening a local branch of the National Organization for Women (NOW). We worked on a variety of feminist issues, but ERA passage was a major focus. Continue reading
