In the News

House passes joint resolution to remove ERA deadline​
by Veronica Stracqualursi |  CNN | Wednesday, March 17, 2021

(CNN)  The House on Wednesday passed a joint resolution that would remove a deadline for states to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, after a recent federal court ruling said the deadline for the ERA expired long ago.
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Proponents of the ERA believe the court ruling signaled that it's now up to Congress to validate their argument that the ERA has already been ratified and should be published as the Constitution's 28th Amendment. But opponents say ...
 [Read More]

Speier, Reed, Cardin, & Murkowski Reintroduce Resolution to Remove Deadline for Ratification of the ERA​ by YubaNet | Jan. 21, 2020

Washington, D.C. –  Today, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA), joined by Congressman Tom Reed (R-NY) and 195 cosponsors, reintroduced her House Joint Resolution to facilitate expeditious ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). By removing the arbitrary deadline for ratification, Rep. Speier’s resolution clears up any legal ambiguity and reaffirms Congress’ support for the ERA and women’s equality.
 [Read More]

​Cardin, Murkowski, Speier, Reed Announce Bipartisan Resolution to Affirm Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment​ on US Senator Ben Cardin's website | Jan. 21, 2020

The required 38 states have ratified the ERA. Congress must not stand in the way of finally enshrining equality for women into our Constitution.
[Read More]

Women’s role in U.S. politics explored in U of M event​ by Eric Black | MinnPost  | St. Paul, Oct. 9, 2020

A big finding of University of Virginia professor Jennifer Lawless’ work is that when women run for office they are just as likely as men to win their races. The offset is that they are so much less likely to run.
 [Read More]

The push for an Equal Rights Amendment in Minnesota Nina Moini, MPR, St. Paul, March 6, 2020

Advocates for a proposed Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, to the state constitution hope to bring the question before voters on the November ballot.

The constitutional amendment would state that women and men have equal rights under the law. If passed by Minnesota voters, it would go into effect January 2021.

What is the history of the federal ERA?  [Read More]

ERA backers fight uphill battle in D.C. as Minnesotans seek state version
By Marshall H. Tanick; MinnPost, 02/07/2020

The ratification in mid-January by the Virginia state legislature of the longstanding but inert Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has focused attention on the measure’s viability in the nation’s capital.

It’s in the Congress and the courts there that battles probably will be fought over the validity of the proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was supported by President Richard Nixon (as did two of his recent predecessors, Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy) and approved by large bipartisan majorities in both Democratic-controlled houses of Congress in 1972.  [Read More]

St. Louis Park resident among proponents of ERA ratification in Virginia 
By Seth Rowe​; Sun Sailor (local paper), January 23, 2020

St. Louis Park resident Suzann Willhite joined advocates of the Equal Rights Amendment in traveling to Virginia to rally for the measure’s ratification.

​The state’s two chambers of the General Assembly each approved [Read More]

ERA Impressions from Virginia 
By Betty Folliard, ERAMN​; MN Women's Press, January 15, 2020

ERA Minnesota sent two representatives to Richmond, Virginia, to help with the final push for the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Suzann Willhite and I stayed with our host, Eileen Davis, a founder of VAratifyERA.org, during this momentous week.

​We spent our days at [Read More]

Virginia votes to ratify ERA, putting amendment one step closer to Constitution 
By ALISON THOET​; PBS News Hour, January 15, 2020

Virginia’s Democratic-held legislature voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment Wednesday, potentially making it the 38th and final state needed to ratify the constitutional amendment that would guarantee equal rights to all Americans regardless of sex. But questions over the original ERA ratification deadline are likely to spur a lengthy legal battle that could render the state’s move moot.

Virginia state lawmakers approved two separate, but similar resolutions that would ratify the ERA in Virginia. The move is seen as a major victory for women’s rights advocates who want to see equal rights written into the Constitution.

The measure’s passage in the Virginia Senate was greeted with an eruption of applause, smiles and tears...  [Read More]
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ERA Rally & Lobby Day at the Capitol - March 5, 2020

"A long time to wait": Virginia passes Equal Rights Amendment in historic vote
By Gregory S. Schneider, Laura Vozzella and Patricia Sullivan Jan. 15, 2020

RICHMOND — Both chambers of Virginia’s General Assembly passed the Equal Rights Amendment Wednesday, fulfilling a promise that helped Democrats seize control of the legislature and marking a watershed moment in the nearly century-long effort to add protections for women to the U.S. Constitution.

The lopsided votes capped an emotional week in which Democrats — particularly female lawmakers, who now hold unprecedented positions of power in Richmond — celebrated history in the making.

The House gallery was packed beyond its...  [Read More]

Virginia Approves the E.R.A., Becoming the 38th State to Back It
By Timothy Williams; The New York Times, January 15, 2020

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia on Wednesday became the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment, a symbolic victory for those who for generations have been pushing for a constitutional guarantee of legal rights regardless of sex.

Virginia’s decision does not seal the amendment’s addition to the United States Constitution. A deadline for three-quarters, or 38, of the 50 states to approve the E.R.A. expired in 1982, so the future of the measure is uncertain, and experts said the issue would likely be tied up in the courts and in the political sphere for years.

But the symbolism of the action...    [Read More]  [PDF]

After nearly a century, has time arrived for ERA?
By LORI STURDEVANT; StarTribune, November 15, 2019 - 5:29 PM

It’s been said (and sometimes attributed to Mark Twain) that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.
I’ve been hearing a lot of rhyming about the Equal Rights Amendment lately — so much so that I’d invite Lin-Manuel Miranda to choose the long quest for a U.S. constitutional guarantee of gender equality under the law as the topic for his next musical...  [Read More]
Activists calling for Virginia's adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment gather outside the Virginia State Capitol building as the General Assembly prepares to convene in Richmond, Virginia, U.S. January 8, 2020. Photo by Jonathan Drake/Reuters

Chairman Nadler Statement for the Markup of H.J.Res. 79, "Removing the Deadline for Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment" 
Press Release from US House Committee on the Judiciary, Nov 13, 2019

Washington, D.C. –Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) delivered the following opening statement during the markup of H.J.Res. 79, a joint resolution that would remove the deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and ensure that the ERA can become a part of our Constitution once a sufficient number of states ratify it:

"H.J. Res. 79, introduced by Representative Jackie Speier with 217 co-sponsors, would ensure that the Equal Rights Amendment, or "ERA," can become part of our Constitution if and when a sufficient number of states ratify it.   
​[Read More]

Update: Passed!  22 Yes's, 11 No 's.  Now it needs a full House Floor vote... And to pass in the Senate.
Video Coverage of the Hearing: 
Here is the full coverage of the hearing.  It should start at the beginning, but if not:  The hearing begins at 50:33 and ends at 2:12:29.

After nearly a century, the Equal Rights Amendment might finally pass
By Maggie Astor, New York Times; NOVEMBER 7, 2019 — 8:31PM

Incoming Virginia Democratic leaders have promised to take it up immediately when the legislature convenes in January. 

Of all the things that Virginia may pass now that Democrats have won control of the state legislature, none have been so long in the making as the Equal Rights Amendment.
First proposed almost a century ago and passed by Congress in 1972, the constitutional amendment —  [Read More]

Democrats flip Virginia Senate and House, taking control of state government for the first time in a generation
By Gregory S. Schneider and Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, Nov 5, 2019

Democrats gained control of both houses of the Virginia General Assembly Tuesday, tapping strength in the suburbs to consolidate power for the first time in a generation and deliver a rebuke to President Trump. . . . . . .

National Democratic organizations and interest groups — promoting such issues as gun control, women’s rights and clean energy — carpeted the state with money, boosting suburban legislative races to the spending level of congressional elections.​[Read More]

House calls on Congress to remove ERA deadline
By Jonathan Mohr, May 10, 2019

Forty-six years after Minnesota ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, the House on Friday renewed its call for Congress to constitutionally enshrine gender equality and provide a broader legal standing for women’s rights.
Members voted 81-0 to approve HF71, sponsored by Rep. Rena Moran (DFL-St. Paul), which contains a resolution asking for the removal of a deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  [Read More]
House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)  Tuesday, April 30, 2019
A House Judiciary subcommittee holds a hearing to consider several legislative proposals involving ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. 

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-New York, is the sponsor of  H.J.Res.35, which would restart the amendment ratification process, and has been introducing ERA legislation DURING each session of Congress since 1992.

Rep. Jackie Speier, D-California, proposed legislation that would extend the deadline for ratification. Murkowski and Cardin did the same in the Senate.
Equal Rights Amendment Hearing before the Committee on the Judiciary.

Four panel speakers presented and answered questions:
  • Ms Kathleen Sullivan:  Ms Sullivan is a partner in the firm’s New York office and the chair of its national appellate practice. Widely recognized as one of the nation’s top appellate advocates, she has been named repeatedly to The National Law Journal’s list of The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America.
  • Prof Elizabeth Foley:  Professor Foley is a founding member of the FIU College of Law. She teaches constitutional law, civil procedure and health care law. She is Of Counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of BakerHostetler, LLP, where she practices constitutional litigation. She presently serves on the Florida Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
  • Dr Pat Spearman:  Dr. Pat is an Ordained Minister, former Pastor, and serves on the Global Social Justice Ministry Team of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries.  She is also a retired Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army), former part-time lecturer at the University of Louisville, and a Nevada State Senator representing Senate District 1.
  • Ms Patricia Arquette: Ms Arquette is an actor and activist for women’s rights.
Full coverage of the House Committee on the Judiciary.  Chairman Jerrold Nadler
March 2019:  Minnesota House Passes Equal Rights Amendment
The House passed the Equal Rights Amendment bill on March 7 and ERA Minnesota held their ERA Lobby Day and Rally the following day (March 8, 2019 - International Women's Day) there was a lot of press coverage.  Watch the 3 1/2 min video for MN House Floor Discussion highlights (FYI:  This bill is to put the amendment on the ballot so people of MN can vote on it.  This bill is abortion neutral.) Or read the listed articles.
Full coverage of house discussion and vote on HF 13.  Starts at 0:41:32 - ends at 3:39:00.
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ERA Day at the Capitol - March 8, 2019
​55 House members actually vote against equal rights for all Minnesotans
City Pages.  Monday, March 11, 2019 by Hannah Jones in News
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has had a simple purpose since it was first proposed in Congress in 1923: People should get equal protection under the law no matter their gender.

That's as uncontroversial as legislation gets, but the ERA has struggled and failed for decades to get ratification nationwide. So legislators in Minnesota are trying (again) to get an amendment on the state’s books. If we can’t have equality all over the United States, we can at least have it here.  [READ MORE]


Minnesota House passes Equal Rights Amendment 
It would put a measure on the 2020 ballot letting voters decide whether to alter the state's Constitution to say people have equal rights regardless of gender. (includes gallery of pictures)
By Jessie Van Berkel Star Tribune, MARCH 7, 2019 — 9:49PM

Minnesota house passes equal rights amendment ballot question  (Associated Press)  Article in several newspapers

Minnesota House approves Equal Rights Amendment after winding debate  Dana Ferguson, Pioneer Press (also in various other smaller papers around the state) 

Hundreds of women rally to support ERA, call on Minnesota Senate to ‘get it done’  Dana Ferguson, Pioneer Press

State House Passes ERA, Supporters to Rally at Capitol on Int'l Women's Day  Public News Service, March 9
Equal Rights Amendment revival comes to the South
By Sue Sturgis  March 14, 2019  
The online magazine of the Institute for Southern Studies

​Sponsors and supporters of legislation to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment banning sex discrimination by federal and state governments gathered at the North Carolina General Assembly earlier this month to speak about the measure and urge its passage. Only one more state is needed to ratify the amendment for it to be enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. (Image is a still from this ERA-NC Alliance video.)

(Editor's note: This index was updated on March 18 to include the bill introduced in Mississippi, which died in committee.)

Number of states that have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which declares that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex": 37   [read more]
ERA now, Murkowski says
By  Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media   - January 28, 2019
(Federal ERA)  Sen. Lisa Murkowski is pushing to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It was a top liberal goal in the 1970s. Murkowski acknowledged that it feels like a blast from the past.
“I think for most people, they think that the Equal Rights Amendment was ratified a long time ago,” she said.
The ERA says the government can’t discriminate on the basis of sex, and it has NOT been added to the Constitution. Back in March 1972, Congress ...

40 years later, the ERA is still not a part of the Constitution
Interview by Judy Woodruff  |  PBS News Hour  |  Jan 29, 2019 6:25 PM EST
(Federal ERA) Forty years ago, Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment, guaranteeing protection from discrimination on the basis of sex -- but it has never been ratified as a constitutional amendment. Now a campaign to ratify the ERA is gathering momentum, in part because of fallout from the #MeToo movement of the past two years. Amna Nawaz talks to Kate Kelly of Equality Now.

Patricia Arquette, Alyssa Milano rally for Equal Rights Amendment
BY JUDY KURTZ - The Hill  |  01/29/19 11:48 AM EST
​(Federal ERA) Patricia Arquette says women aren’t “treated with the same value as men in America,” and it’s time to make a change to the Constitution.

“We’ve waited long enough,” the former “Medium” star and Golden Globe-winner said Tuesday in Washington. “This is 2019, and it’s time for the United States of America to afford women the equal rights they have been denied in their own... 
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Celebrities join lawmakers to back ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment
By Sarah Mucha, CNN Updated 4:06 PM ET, Tue January 29, 2019
(Federal ERA) (CNN)Actresses Patricia Arquette and Alyssa Milano rallied on Capitol Hill alongside lawmakers Tuesday morning for the abolition of the ratification deadline and subsequent ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
"Women are not treated with the same value as men in America, and that stands to reason, as they have no value in their own Constitution," Arquette said.  The Equal Rights Amendment, an addition to the Constitution that would ensure equal rights to all Americans regardless of sex, was first introduced...
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House committee takes action on Equal Rights Amendment
By Jonathan Mohr, MN Legislature - Session Daily  |  January 24, 2019
A decades-long effort to constitutionally enshrine gender equality took another step Thursday with legislation approved by the House Government Operations Committee.  Members approved two bills, both are meant to provide a broader legal standing for equal rights.
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It's time to finally pass the Equal Rights Amendment
​By Lisa Murkowski and Ben Cardin, The Washington Post |  JANUARY 25, 2019
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, represents Alaska in the Senate. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, represents Maryland in the Senate.
​(Federal ERA) Men and women should be treated equally under the law. It seems pretty basic, right?...
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Efforts to get ERA bill through Minnesota Legislature complicated by concerns about abortion rights
​By Peter Callaghan | January 25, 2019 09:40 am
​Efforts to add a gender equal rights amendment to the Minnesota Constitution have been complicated by concerns raised Thursday by ...
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Equal Rights Amendment on the move in Minnesota, nation
By​ Judy Keen Star Tribune  |   JANUARY 24, 2019 — 8:03AM  
​A hearing is set Thursday for two Minnesota measures on the amendment, a vestige of 1970s activism but one with building momentum. 
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Remember the Equal Rights Amendment? It's back. With a big time push in Minnesota 
By Dave Orrick, Pioneer Press | JANUARY 24, 2019
The ERA is a thing again in Minnesota, to the delight of supporters, some of whom have been fighting for it since feminist movement of the 1970s...
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House committee takes action on Equal Rights Amendment
By Jonathan Mohr, Minnesota House of Representatives  | JANUARY 24, 2019
 A decades-long effort to constitutionally enshrine gender equality took another step Thursday with legislation approved by the House Government Operations Committee...
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Equal Rights Amendment
A series of articles in We*News: Covering Women's Issues; Changing Women's Lives​​
Now's The Time To Ratify The Equal Rights Amendment
By Gayle Lemmon, Cnn.com, November 24, 2018

Virginia May Be The Key To Ratifying The Equal Rights Amendment
CBS06 WTVR, November 19, 2018

Virginia Could Be The State To Give Women Equal Rights Nationwide
By Whittney Evans, NPR, November 19, 2018

The Equal Rights Amendment: Nation is on the cusp of a giant step toward legal equality
By Betty Folliard, Star Tribune, May 31, 2018

Illinois Votes to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment
By Amanda Arnold, The Cut, May 31, 2018

One More To Go: Illinois Ratifies Equal Rights Amendment
By Bill Chappel, NPR, May 31, 2018

Dawn of an ERA? State House passes Equal Rights Amendment — 95 years later
By Tina Sfondeles, Chicago Sun Times, May 30, 2018

Illinois Approves Equal Rights Amendment, 36 Years After Deadline
By Rick Pearson, Bill Lukitsch, Chicago Tribune, May 30, 2018

A Rebuke to Trump, a Century in the Making
By The Editorial Board, The New York Times, April 19, 2018

“Do Minnesota women have equal rights?”
by Kate Havelin   April 11, 2018   |   East Side Freedom Library Blog
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How To Support Minnesota's Equal Rights Amendment
By Da'Vonna Pittman, Minnesota Women's Press, April 2018
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Equal Rights Amendment Takes Major Step Forward
By Lawrence O'Donnell, MSNB, April 11, 2018
International Women's Day!  March 8, 2018
ERAMN Founder & President Emeritus, Betty Folliard - Guest Speaker on "FYI with Barry ZeVan"
By Barry ZeVan, FYI (Youtube), February 10, 2018

​Unbelievably, women still don't have equal rights in the Constitution
By Jessica Neuwirth, LA Times, January 5, 2018

May my heart be kind, my mind fierce and my spirit brave 
  By Rosemary Rocco, Medium.com, November 19, 2017
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 'I Believe Her' Rally At The State Capitol
  By Cory Hepola, Kare11 News, November 17, 2017

‘No More Silence’: Sexual Harassment Protest Held At Capitol 
  By Kate Raddatz, CBS Minnesota, November 17, 2017

Women Rally, Demand Action at Sexual Harassment Protest at State Capitol 
  By Katherine Johnson, KSTP 5 Eyewitness News, November 17, 2017

Crowd protests against sexual harassment at Capitol 
  By Rob Olson, Fox9 News, November 17, 2017

Women rally against sexual harassment at Minnesota Capitol​ 
  By MPR News Staff, MPR News, November 17, 2017

Sexual harassment cure includes electing 'women in high places' 
  By Don Davis, Duluth News Tribune; November 17, 2017

Rally at the capitol to demand end to sexual harassment
Press Release by Betty Folliard; November 16, 2017​

​Koryne Horbal, former DFL chairwoman and a Jimmy Carter envoy to UN, dies at 80
  By Nick Woltman, Twin Cities Pioneer Press; May 18, 2017

Iron Range native worked for women’s rights worldwide 
   By Beatrice Dupuy, Star Tribune; May 23, 2017

House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman Takes a Stand for Women's Rights  
  Video by KSTP, Channel 5 Eyewitness News; April 18, 2017

Nevada Assembly approves Equal Rights Amendment   
  By Sean Whaley, Las Vegas Review-Journal; March 20, 2017

Thirty-five years past a deadline set by Congress, Nevada ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment
   By David Montero, Los Angeles Times; March 20, 2017

ERA Yes - Letter to Legislators March 8th, 2017
   03/16/17

The Equal Rights Amendment is back, and it's still needed
   By The Editorial Board, Minneapolis Star/Tribune; March 10, 2017

Women's rights amendment supporters in Minnesota renew their fight    
   By Erin Golden, Minneapolis Star/Tribune; March 08, 2017

International Women’s Day Honored In Minn., Across The World
   Video by CBS Minnesota, WCCO 4 News At Noon; March 08, 2017

Women's March Organizers Call for 'A Day Without a Woman'   
   KSTP 5 Eyewitness News; Article By Cleo Greene; March 08, 2017
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International Women’s Day Brings ERA to the MN Capitol! 
   Press release March 2, 2017 by Betty Folliard
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ERAMN & #WomensMarchMN!
   03/01/2017
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Cardin and Menendez Put Forward Two-Track Approach to Ratification of an ERA for All Women
   Press release May 7, 2015 by Matthew Spikes, Legislative Correspondent,       Office of Senator Cardin

A History Lesson for Republicans Blocking ERA Resolution
   by Betty Folliard, Star Tribune on March 25, 2015 (commentaries) 

Letter to Majority Leader Joyce Peppin from Minority Leader Paul Thissen requesting a hearing on HR 212 
   (removing the deadline on the ratification of the federal ERA)
   by Paul Thissen, Minority Leader, MN House of Representatives, March 24,     2015

After 42 years, the ERA returns
   by Lori Sturdevant, Minneapolis Star/Tribune; March 13, 2015

Women Deserve Equal Rights! Video (view to the right)
   by MN Assoc. of Professional Employees (MAPE), March 11, 2015

Minn. Equal Rights Group Rallies At Capitol 
(Article and Audio Interview)
   by Susie Jones, CBS Minnesota / WCCO Radio; March 5, 2015

Women's rights advocates seek to revive the ERA
   by John Croman, KARE11; March 5, 2015

​Lawmakers, activists push for Equal Rights Amendment
   by Sarah McKenzie, The Journal; March 5, 2015

Minnesota Group Seeks to Restart Equal Rights Amendment Effort
   by Dave Aeikens, 5 Eyewitness News; March 5, 2015

THURS: Five chief authors of equal rights amendment legislation (ERA)...
   morning take: a daily Minnesota tip sheet on March 3, 2015 (scroll down to THURS:)

ERA supporters to rally at state Capitol in support of nationwide ratification
   by Joe Kimball, MinnPost on March 2, 2015

Interview: Add in ERA to the MN Constitution; remove deadline of the ERA to the US Constitution
Click here to listen: Betty Folliard interview on WTIP   
   by Will Moore, WTIP: North Shore Community Radio on February 23, 2015

COMMUNITY VOICES: Equal rights amendment to Minnesota Constitution is sorely needed
   by Beth Anderson, SW News Media/Savage Pacer on February 3, 2015

MN-ERA: A Launch Platform to Counter Income Inequality
   by INVENIUM VIAM on FEBRUARY 19, 2015

Equal Rights for all: What's not to like?
   by Betty Folliard, Star Tribune on September 12, 2014 (commentaries)

Reviving the ERA to assure equality
   by: EDITORIAL BOARD , Star Tribune on August 28, 2014

Women's Equality Day at the State Fair
   by Women Leardership Coalition on August 24, 2014

ERAMN Day At The Capitol 03/08/17

ERAMN Day At The Capitol Press Conference 03/08/17

On International Women’s Day 2017, Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of ERAMN’s chief authors of legislation before the Minnesota House - HF189, extolled the merits of an equal rights amendment into our state constitution.

ERAMN Day At The Capitol Press Conference; Photo by John Kaul
ERA Rally at Capitol
ERA Day at the Capitol - March 8, 2018
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ERA-MN Day at the Capitol 3/8/17
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On International Women’s Day 2017, Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of ERAMN’s chief authors of legislation before the Minnesota House - HF189, extolled the merits of an equal rights amendment into our state constitution.
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ERAMN Day At The Capitol Press Conference; Photo by John Kaul