Twenty-one years ago, as Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast and a beloved Episcopal priest named Katrina Swanson passed into glory, a small circle of family and friends gathered and made a promise. From that moment of grief and resolve, Katrina’s Dream was born. On this 21st anniversary, we celebrate not for survival but steadfast leadership in the long fight for women’s rights — especially the unfinished business of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Katrina Swanson was one of the Philadelphia Eleven, the pioneering women irregularly ordained as Episcopal priests in 1974. Hailing from a multi-generational priest family, she lived her faith as a call to justice. When the ERA fell short of ratification, she pointedly revised the Pledge of Allegiance: “with liberty and justice for some.” She understood that without constitutional equality, American women remained second-class citizens under the law. Her wish was clear: secure the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) so that “We the People” would finally include the majority of the population.

In August 2005, when many had declared the ERA dead and walked away, Katrina’s Dream refused to abandon the field. What began as a virtual ministry and boots-on-the-ground effort has become a persistent voice for the full inclusion of women in the Church and Society. While others turned to other causes, and others to party polarisating strategy to exploit women for votes, and yet more to bizarre legal theory which the courts continue to rule have no standing, and now jeopardise the standing of the ABA. 

Katrina’s Dream has remained steadfast keeping the three-state strategy alive, walked thousands of miles, lobbied lawmakers, testified at hearings, convened events at the United Nations, and refused to let the amendment fade into history books as a failed experiment.

The pilgrimages embody that refusal. The first, “A Sentimental Journey,” began in Seneca Falls in 2012. The second, “A Quest for Equality,” started at the Golden Gate Bridge in 2014 and covered roughly 7,000 miles. Along the way it sparked the activism that helped make Nevada the first state in the 21st century to ratify the ERA, followed by Illinois and Virginia—reaching the constitutionally required 38 states. A third pilgrimage in 2020 continued the call for Congress to remove the arbitrary deadline. These were not publicity stunts; they were acts of faith and persistence that rekindled a movement others had left behind.

Today the final hurdle remains: removing the 1972 deadline (later extended to 1982) so that the already-ratified ERA can be affirmed as part of the U.S. Constitution. Despite Senator Lisa Murkowski’s refusal to push her own legislation—S.J. Res. 38—as delineated by her staffer Kate Williams-Stern as a means to embarrass Trump, Katrina’s Dream is still moving forward. As Stern stated, “We don’t want Trump to get the credit”—a remark that implies the measure could readily pass if Murkowski simply did her job and stood up for women in these trying times.

Undeterred, we continue our  grassroots petitioning (please add your signature to our petition), street-level outreach, and coalition-building. We have never pretended the path is easy. Political caution, shifting priorities, and institutional inertia have delayed justice. Yet the work continues—because equality under the law is not a partisan luxury or a temporary legislative goal. It is a constitutional necessity.

God willing: a fourth pilgrimage will soon take place—another purposeful journey to call upon the people, our elected leaders, our country, to finish what was started more than a century ago when Alice Paul first proposed the amendment. The destination is clear: remove the deadline, affirm the ERA’s place in the Constitution, and ensure that equality of rights shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex. An amendment that would empower women, reaffirm the rights of men,  and provide a clear constitutional standard for the courts on issues affecting all Americans.

For 21 years Katrina’s Dream has carried this charge when the path was lonely and the odds looked long. A path that is now a mere vote away from passing through our Congress. The anniversary is not merely a backward glance; it is a recommitment. The dream that began in the shadow of a hurricane and the loss of a trailblazing priest still burns. Women still face wage gaps, violence, healthcare disparities, and uneven legal protection in sports. The Constitution still lacks an explicit guarantee of sex equality. And so the work goes on—one conversation, one petition signature, one determined step at a time.

Wonderful news: Olof Swanson, Katrina’s oldest son, has come home. We look forward to his contributions as he takes up the ministry to the homeless—a passion of his father George and brother William, and the original inspiration behind our once-flourishing work Olof’s Brothers’ Love Feast in Sausalito that served the anchor-outs. Sadly, that community of artists and veterans have been largely been driven out of town and run-off of Richardson Bay (an ecological arm of San Francisco Bay) having received no support from Governor Gavin Newsome. As is the plight of the  impoverished here and abroad. Olof has much to share on his world travels  Olof shared, “Exodus of the Old Testament mentions in the Ark its buildings and builders. I think the builders usually have a better quality of happiness, maybe the American culture is lacking in this.” He recommends we take a moment to listen to Big God by Tim Godfrey.

Warm congratulations: my late brother George’s nephew Archon Michael J. Kratsios (offikion Kastrinsios), upon whom His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew bestowed the honor of Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on October 31, 2021, and who will receive the Archon Sophia Award for Excellence on October 17, 2026. We are grateful for his contributions in leading our nation in AI and technology. Our prayers are with you.

How to help: To every supporter who has walked, written, called, prayed, or simply refused to look away: thank you. Please continue to do so. The Power of One is your empowerment tool. To those just joining: the door is open. The charge continues. Equality has no expiration date. With faith, persistence, and collective courage, the dream will be realized. Be sure to sign the petition.

Please help keep this work alive. Your donation—whether a one-time gift or a recurring contribution—fuels the petition (click here to sign), the outreach, the pilgrimages, and the steady advocacy that have carried Katrina’s Dream for 21 years. Every dollar strengthens our ability to finish the work Katrina began. Click here to give today.

Together we will see the Equal Rights Amendment become the law of the land.

Happy 21st anniversary, Katrina’s Dream. The pilgrimage is not over.

Love and Light in Christ

Helene de Boissiere