On Wednesday September 28th, 2022, oral arguments will be held at the DC Court of Appeals in a critical case involving the Equal Rights Amendment… can you be there to bear witness?

The Office of the Illinois Attorney General will argue on behalf of American women, and all Americans, that the U.S. Archivist must publish the ERA in the Constitution given that all requirements have been met as per Article V. [As you know, Illinois was the 37th State to ratify on May 30th of 2018, preceded by Nevada in March of 2017 and followed by Virginia in January of 2020.]

The ministerial/secretarial obligation of the U.S. Archivist to publish the ERA is clearly laid out in statute (1 U.S. Code 106b) requiring them to publish a duly ratified amendment in the Federal Register upon ratification of three fourths of the States. This is what the court case next Wednesday is all about, and we need to be there and have our voices heard.

The fact of the matter is that President Biden, as chief of the Executive Branch of the government, controls what the Archivist does.  He also controls what cases the Department of Justice continues to pursue that were brought by the previous Trump Administration on behalf of the U.S. government – like the case in point, where the AG’s are simply fighting to mandate publication of the ERA, which is legally required.

We need to insist that Biden back up his stated support for equal rights for women by immediately taking these crucial steps:

• Stop arguing against publication of ERA in court
• Heed the call by Attorneys General of the states that support him
• Drop the suit altogether
• Direct the U.S. Archivist to immediately publish ERA.

But President Biden is not yet doing that.  And we must ask why.

This issue is too urgent. Equality cannot be further delayed or impeded. Now,  especially, urgent action must be taken to counteract the Dobbs decision and guarantee women autonomy over themselves and their bodies! 

We need answers and action from all quarters:

• • The White House,
  • The Office of Legal Counsel,
  • The Department of Justice,
  • Senator Cardin (who is supposed to be our voice on this
    in the Senate but who is actually obstructing ERA(!)
  • And the Senators from the 38 states that ratified the amendment…

EQUAL MEANS EQUAL is supporting Virginia NOW and other allied organizations on the ground in the DC area organizing a rally outside the DC Federal Court of Appeals  to pressure the Biden administration to drop the attack on ERA immediately and save women’s lives.

It is imperative that this devastating legal attack against ERA and women not occur under the cover of darkness and in public ignorance.  To President Biden, we ask “Which side are you on?”.

And it’s up to us to insist and ensure that he answers that question with bold, decisive action to enshrine the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution now. 

Please, if you are able to get to Washington D.C. safely, join ERA activists at 9am next Wednesday Sept 28th at the DC Federal Court of Appeals at 333 Constitution Ave NW @ 3RD Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2804, United States

Here is a link to the Facebook Event Page:

https://fb.me/e/22fYxM82q

Please share the word with your networks and let’s make sure that the media, our representatives, the people of the United States and, most importantly, Vice-Presiden Harris and President Biden know that we will not allow our equal rights to be stripped away after a century of struggle. ERA NOW. Equal means equal.

In solidarity, with love and gratitude,

Kamala, Natalie, Jeff, Joel, Tom and the EME team 

P.S. Special thanks to artist Corie Mattie and LA Hope Dealer for the awesome artwork and to our art partner, Moby Arts and Natily Gonzalez.

P.S.2 Extra special thanks to Lisa Sales for grinding it out, getting the permits and putting it all together – you rock.

P.S.3.  Sorry about the long delay in communication; EME has been working away in multiple areas with more news to come soon!  Please support our work if you can. xoxoxK

*Moby Arts is a fine art print house open to the public that focuses on bringing ground-breaking artists and charities together for worthy causes.