Katrina’s Dream Endorses
Equal Rights for Women and Men
Citing support from Katrina’s Dream, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) chose International Women’s Day to introduce legislation to speed ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution.
Katrina’s Dream was founded in memory of Katrina Martha Swanson, one of the “Philadelphia Eleven” Episcopal Priests irregularly ordained in 1974. Katrina worked for the ERA from 1972 to the end of her life in 2005. The organization supports the full inclusion of women in society. It is on the web at www.katrinasdream.org.
“The ERA is intended to ensure equality for women and men in all areas of society,” said Congresswoman Baldwin. “It is an immediate and decisive remedy to end sex discrimination in federal and state laws and provides a clear benchmark for judicial interpretation. Achieving equality and justice for all in the United States is fundamental to our democratic principles, economic recovery, and continued leadership around the world. The intent of my resolution is simple: a path to equality for all Americans,” Baldwin said.
When Congress passed the ERA in 1972, it provided that the measure be ratified by the necessary number of states (38) within 7 years. This deadline was later extended to 10 years, and, by 1982, 35 states had ratified the ERA. That left the ERA just three states shy of full ratification when the deadline passed in 1982.
The founder of Katrina’s Dream, Helene de Boissière Swanson, wrote members of congress, “It has been my privilege to talk with people across America – from Representatives and Senators in our nation’s capital to groups meeting in bars and coffee shops from Maine to California. I can speak for a large number of Americans, women and men, who are waiting for our congress to make Equal Rights a part of the United States Constitution.”
Swanson reminded the members of congress, “It is over 150 years since brave Americans gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, to demand an equality that was denied women then and shamefully is still denied today.” She is circulating an online petition asking that Congress remove the arbitrary deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
States whose legislatures have not yet ratified the ERA are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia.
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Contact: Hélène de Boissière Swanson
415.233.2049