Originally published by Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04)
Today Marks 100th Anniversary Since Introduction of the ERA
In case you missed it: This week, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), a Vice Chair of the Congressional ERA Caucus,took significant action ahead of the 100th anniversary of the Equal Rights Amendment to affirm it as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Earlier this week, Congresswoman McClellan signed a discharge petition to compel the House to vote on H.J.Res. 25, introduced by ERA Caucus Co-Chair Ayanna Pressley and cosponsored by McClellan, to remove the arbitrary ratification deadline for the ERA and enshrine the ERA into law.
Congresswoman McClellan also joined the Virginia National Organization for Women (NOW), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Rep. Pressley, and other House and Senate members to send the ERA Centennial Bus to Seneca Falls in honor of the ERA’s 100th anniversary.
“247 years ago, Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that all men were created equal and endowed by their creator with the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 175 years ago, Elizabeth Cody Stanton wrote women into the sequel, the Declaration of Sentiments, adopted by the Seneca Falls Convention,” said Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan. “155 years ago, the 14th Amendment promised equal protection under the law, and 100 years ago, its sequel, the Equal Rights Amendment, was introduced. From the beginning of the women’s rights movement, women of color have been fighting to make the ideals of this country true for everyone. I’m proud to have done my part by leading the fight in the Senate of Virginia to make Virginia the 38th and final state necessary to ratify the ERA. Unfortunately, our work still isn’t done. As the first Black woman elected to Congress from the birthplace of American democracy, I am proud to continue the fight to enshrine the ERA into the U.S. Constitution.”
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