Montgomery County Business and Professional Women
Honor Carolyn Cook of United 4 Equality, LLC
as 2011 Woman of Achievement Award
Thursday, October 20, 2011 Gaithersburg Holiday Inn
6:30pm Networking
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Program
 Posted at 12:11 PM ET, 05/03/2011
The Washington Post - POST LOCAL Blog
D.C. Council Calls for Passage of the Federal Equal Rights Amendment
By Tim Craig
The D.C. Council re-engaged in a decades-old fight Monday when it unanimously approved a resolution calling for the passage of the federal Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The resolution was sponsored by council members Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), Yvette D. Alexander (D-Ward 7) and Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3), the three women who serve on the council. In arguing for passage of the resolution, Bowser recounted the history of the amendment, which was first devised in 1923 by suffragist Alice Paul. The House and Senate both approved the amendment in 1972, but it was never ratified by two-thirds of the states. Although Bowser noted that the District has among the toughest anti-discrimination protections in the nation, she called on her colleagues to take a stand for women in other states. “It’s not the law across the country, therefore, this resolution gives additional attention and much-needed focus to this important body of work,” Bowser said. _____________________________________________________________________ HJ RES. #47 RE-OPENS DRIVE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Washington, DC - MARCH 08, 2011 CONTACT: Carolyn Cook, Founder/CEO, United 4 Equality, LLC 202-309-1963 For More Information: www.united4equality.com Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) today introduced legislation to remove the congressionally-imposed deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. The bill, HJ#47, was introduced today, March 8, 2011 to coincide with Women’s History Month and the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. The Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified by 35 of the 38 states necessary to become part of the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing women equal treatment by federal and state laws. The original amendment was introduced in 1923 in the US Congress without a time limit, by Susan B. Anthony’s nephew, as the “Lucretia Mott Amendment” after the woman who started the women’s suffrage movement. The amendment was introduced in every session of Congress until it was passed in 1972. Congress added a seven-year time limit in final passage to the proposing clause, but not to the amendment language itself. Congress then extended that limit three more years. This bill introduced today removes the time limit, allowing states to resume ratification towards 38 required minimum, similar to the lack of time limit on the amendment giving women the right to vote. United4Equality is delighted to partner with Representative Baldwin (D-WI) and original co-sponsors Representatives Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Jackie Speiers (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Keith Ellison (D-MN) and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) and Frederica Wilson (D-FL) to ensure equal application of US law to women and men. “There should be no time limit on equality. Every right women currently have can be taken away. We should all stand equal before the law,” said Carolyn Cook, founder of United4Equality. “Thousands of laws throughout the United States still discriminate against women. This amendment will provide a blanket of protection across all 50 states against unequal laws and unequal enforcement.” “The rights to equal pay, equal protection, and equal benefits can be taken away at any time without this amendment. Just this year, in 2011, a US Supreme Court justice wrote in a published article that the due process clause protection does not apply to women,” continued Cook. “One key result would be review of social security laws, which do not allow a homemaker to have social security accounts on their own.” United4Equality created this amendment strategy to reflect the overwhelming support already achieved for the Amendment. Without the ERA, sex discrimination grievances must be addressed individually through costly legal battles, at taxpayer expense. Discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin is prohibited by the United State Constitution, yet sex discrimination is still allowed. The amendment was written by suffragist Alice Paul immediately after women won the right to vote. It was introduced by a Republican Senator and Representative in 1923. It was adopted by the Republican Party platform in 1940, and by the Democrats in 1944. After 49 years, it passed but with the standard restriction of seven years that Congress placed on eight other amendments. However, since Congress twice modified its previous restriction, it has the power to remove its previous addition. The amendment states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” United for Equality is a social justice enterprise formed in 2010 to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. _____________________________________________________________________
ERA 2015-4 Years, 3 States, 1 Amendment posted Nov 13, 2010 3:58PM by United For Equality  In the 21st Century, women and girls are, by law, 2nd class citizens of the US. When our forefathers declared that all men are created equal and entitled to the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, they intentionally excluded women who were deemed the property of their fathers or husbands.
This artificial distinction between white, male citizens and all others established that a legal standard of comparison among human beings and their rights under law. It remains the guiding principle for interpreting the US Constitution today.
Through 26 Amendments, our country has made great strides in redefining the role and responsibilities of government to We the People . Favoritism on the basis of one's race, religion and national origin is now unconstitutional while sex discrimination remains legal. Why?
In 1848, the Declaration of Sentiments, signed by 68 women and 32 men in Seneca Falls, New York, stated that all men and women are created equal. Despite this proclamation, and the tremendous strides women have made to participate fully in society today, the only federally-guaranteed right that women have been granted under the US Constitution is the right to vote. Girls under 18 years of age have no legal rights in America today.
Therefore, all other rights for women and girls are left up to legislatures and courts to decide state-by-state, case-by-case, over and over again at tremendous taxpayer expense. The gender double-standard perpetrated by government will continue until the ERA is passed.
ERA 2015, spearheaded by United For Equality, seeks to retrieve the Equal Rights Amendment from its congressionally-imposed exile in order to complete ratification in the remaining 3 states required.
JOIN US!
| ERA 2015 FUNDRAISER
Saturday, November 12, 2011
7:00pm - 10:00pm
Strathmore Court Community Room
5440 Marinelli Road, Rockville, MD
Featuring
National Storyteller - Ellouise Schoettler
"Pushing Boundaries: The Equal Rights Amendment"
(ERA Campaign Director 1979 - 1982), US League of Women Voters
and
Carolyn Cook - United 4 Equality,LLC's Founder/CEO
Audience Discussion * Hors d'oeuvres *Wine and Punch * Raffle
SUGGESTED DONATION: $35 or more
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASHINGTON, DC
E.qual R.ights A.mendment 2015: 4 years, 3 states, 1 law
FRIDAY, APRIL 1st, 2011 7:30pm—9:00pm
LIVELY PRESENTATION / Q & A Chevy Chase Community Center Lounge 5601 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20015 For more information, call 202-309-1963 or email info@united4equality.com ATTENTION: PARENTS OF DAUGHTERS ; Republicans, Democrats, & Independents; anyone committed to ensuring that females in the US are giving their full rights, opportunities and benefits as citizens of our democracy.
In the 21st Century, sex is still regarded as a ‘pre-existing condition when determining the rights of citizens. Can the US recover from this economic crisis while 52% of its population (females) remain 2nd class citizens with only a right to vote guaranteed under law? Bring your daughter, sister or close friend and explore the 160-year history behind this important social justice imperative for our country.
Learn firsthand how the ERA is making an exciting comeback in the 112th Congress and how you can get involved locally to guarantee equal treatment, benefits or opportunities under federal and state laws for women and girls across the US.
_____________________________________________________________________
90th Anniversary of Voting Rights for Women
 Check out the photos from U4E's first annual Light Up the Sky Rally and video for Women's Equality Day held at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Among the speakers represented were:
1. Nat'l Women’s History Museum; Senior Vice President, Ann Stone
2. Sewall Belmont House & Museum – Lead Docent, Erin Dexter 3. Business & Professional Women USA – (Past Pres.) Hon. Diane Polangin 4. Coalition of Labor Union Women – Exec. Director, Carol Rosenblatt 5. United For Equality - Founder, Carolyn Cook 6. Mike Hersh & Associates - President, Mike Hersh 7. Responsible For Equality & Liberty (R.E.A.L.)- Founder, Jeffrey Imm 8. Songs of Peace - Suffrage Musician and Songwriter, Sharleen Leahey Join us next year on Aug. 26th in front of the White House to mark the special occasion of womens' suffrage and to celebrate our progress on ERA 2015. _____________________________________________________________________ BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
Monroe/West Monroe BPW and North Louisiana AAUW 'Lit Up the Sky' on Women’s Equality Day, August 26, 2010 The Chennault Aviation and Military Museum in Monroe, Louisiana was the setting when many women from the community, and BPW and AAUW members gathered to celebrate 90 years of the passing of the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote.
Janis Guyton, President of Monroe/West Monroe BPW, welcomed the attendees. Angie Jackson-Wilson, Treasurer of BPW/LA, brought greetings and encouragement for the passage of the ERA from the state BPW Federation. Camille Moran, Lobbying Director for United for Equality and the Louisiana Coalition for the ERA stated, “Everything that we can do to secure passage of the ERA in Louisiana will be done! We want to be one of the three states to get this legislation passed!” North Louisiana AAUW Vice-President Janet Guyden supported the strides women have made in the last 90 years, but also emphasized the need to continue the fight for the ERA. Guyden stated that the AAUW goals of equality and education go back over 100 years and will continue until this amendment is passed. Judy Wilson, Public Relations Chair for BPW/LA and the Louisiana Coalition for the ERA, gave a presentation entitled, “90 Years to Celebrate, But Still Working for Equality.” Wilson emphasized the 72 years it took to get the 19th Amendment passed and the difficulty women like Carrie Chapman Catt, Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and many others had in doing so. She exclaimed, “Jail, torture, protests, beatings, and starvation didn’t stop these women. Why do we, in 2010, want to stop now in our fight for Equal Rights?” When Alice Paul authored the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, little did she know that she would not live to see its passage, as the fight continues today! With the passage of the amendment needed in only 3 more states, the ERA would become a reality for the women of our country. The goal is to have this passed by 2015. “Louisiana citizens will continue to go to our statehouse in Baton Rouge and strive for passage of what will be the 28th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States,” Wilson concluded. With musical selections by the Southern Accent Show Chorus, the program concluded with a candle-lighting ceremony and moment of silence.
Thank you, United for Equality, for selecting Monroe/West Monroe Business and Professional Women to represent the women of Louisiana on this important celebration of Women’s Equality Day 2010. Thank you AAUW for joining with BPW to support the women’s issues we care about. Both of our organizations will continue to strive for the ratification of the ERA and will support United for Equality’s efforts in getting the ERA passed! |
News & Events News Events |
