Charlotte Central High School, 1953
I was a Senior. My counselor advised me to start making my plans for what I would do after Graduation.
"You have done things.
You have good grades.
You have options.
You could go to college to be a teacher or a librarian.
You could go to secretarial school
or
You could be a nurse."
This was 1953.
I was a girl.
I understood that underneath what she said she was telling me to find something to keep me busy until I got married.
And that is how I started out on my journey to find my fortune.
We can laugh about that narrow list of choices today as we watch our daughters and grand-daughters choose from a much wider field for the career they will follow.
Things have changed for women in many ways - - except they are still not protected by an Equal Rights Amendment in the US Constitution. They may not be paid equal pay for equal work. They may not be treated fairly.
A young woman told me recently that she thought the ERA was already passed.
What are we telling our daughters?
30 years ago - June 30, 1982 - the last active campaign to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment ended.
The ERA has been re-introduced in Congress every year - with little to no fanfare - - - and no action.
What are we thinking?
Yes, in the past 30 years there have been changes.
By passing individual laws.
But,
have we taught our daughters that those changes can be un-done - -
law-by-law.
Think about it!
1 comment:
Thank you, Ellouise. It's a story that desperately neeeeeds telling. But have no fear, ERA IS NOT DEAD. I spearhead ERA ratification with my 300,000 members of the National Equal Rights Amendment Alliance for the last 12 YEARS, 18/7 before ONE Republican-no-NO STATE. We mentor 6 other States as they file ERA ratification bills. AND, as partner in United for Equality, we have created and filed A BRAND NEW ERA bill before the US Senate and House just this past year!
HJRes 47 and SJRes 39 are bills there to speed up ERA passage into the US Constitution by proposing to eliminate the toothless time limit mentioned in the original ERA's introductory clause. This gives us ERA leaders the full breadth of time to secure 3 more States' ratifications .
ERA MAKES SEX DISCRIMINATION A VIOLATION OF THE US CONSTITUTION. ERA is essential because:
1. No other edict/law/statute guarantees this!
2. It adds women and girls to the nation's contract with its people, the US Constitution. Right now, we are without a contract.
That's right! And that's why the legislatures across America and the US Congress feels they can push us females around with their Legislative War on Women. That War's bullets are
..a freakish and very scary 916 anti-woman, anti-family bills filed that would ban all contraception and anti-abortion horrors; the refusal to pass the simple-justice Paycheck Fairness Act this year as in all years passed; the refusal to ratify ERA or even hear that fair bill (Florida House; Florida Senate committees pass it, overwhelmingly, bipartisan now and then).
Many legislators pooh pooh the need for an ERA in order to placate their campaign funders, Big Business, and in order to keep America divided along gender lines as well as race etc. "Divide and Conquer".
For the most comprehensive, correct and current ERA bill actions and "Do it Now" action suggestions, please tour our..
www.2PassERA.org. Legislators everywhere use it for rigorous information. SO CAN YOU!
Write me at SandyO@PassERA.org. We have 300 000 folks to help you help us HELP YOU secure your birthright in US Constitution!
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