Aug 18 is anniversary of what?

Equal Rights Amendment Is Valid and Should Be Implemented, Says American Bar Association

 This was the headline for MS Magazine's article published Aug. 15, 2024. 

Dorothy Day with her prison dress. In November 1917, Day went to prison for being one of forty women in front of the White House protesting women's exclusion from the electorate. She's one of the reasons why you can vote, and a reminder that voting shouldn't be taken for granted.

These things were on my Facebook feed in the morning of Aug. 18, and one a memory of a post that I'd shared many times before. Here's what Aug, 18 should be remembered for.

"in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, giving women the right to vote. The first national constitutional amendment had been proposed in Congress in 1878, and in every Congress session after that. Finally, in 1919, it narrowly passed both houses of Congress and was sent to the states to be ratified. Most Southern states opposed the amendment, and on August 18, 1920, it all came down to Tennessee. The pro-amendment faction wore yellow roses in their lapels, and the "anti" faction wore red American Beauty roses. It was a close battle and the state legislature was tied 48 to 48. The decision came down to one vote: that of 24-year-old Harry Burn, the youngest state legislator. He had been expected to vote against it, but he had in his pocket a note from his mother, which read: "Dear Son: Hurrah, and vote for suffrage! Don't keep them in doubt. I noticed some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don't forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the 'rat' in ratification. Your Mother." He voted in favor of the amendment.

The Nineteenth Amendment's adoption was certified on August 26, 1920.

Following that amendment where women's right to vote was legalized, it was found to have

 "...failed to fully enfranchise African American, Asian American, Hispanic American, and Native American women. Shortly after the amendment's adoption, Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party began work on the Equal Rights Amendment, which they believed was a necessary additional step towards equality. (Wikipedia)

The MS article in 2024 starts with these words:

At the annual meeting of the American Bar Association in Chicago on Aug. 6, the association’s House of Delegates adopted a resolution declaring the Equal Rights Amendment fully ratified as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The ABA resolution urged full implementation of the ERA by the legal community and all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments. The ABA has a membership of 400,000 lawyers.

“This is BIG news,” said U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a leading ERA advocate. “The leading association for legal minds just endorsed our position that the Equal Rights Amendment has satisfied every constitutional requirement and called on the entire legal community to support certifying and publishing the ERA as our 28th Amendment.”

So it's now in the hands of the law makers who are mostly lawyers. The MS article shows the places it has traveled through legal law making chanels. Let's hope when Kamala Harris is elected President, there will be a push to finally see the ERA recognized! 

'Dignity' by artist Dale Lamphere, (50' tall) to honor the women of the Sioux Nation.

 Today's quote:

Love is like quicksilver in the hand. Leave the fingers open and it stays. Clutch it, and it darts away. -Dorothy Parker, author (22 Aug 1893-1967)