Page 16 - CALIFORNIA WOMAN - FALL EDITION 2024 - FINAL

Less than 50 percent of eligible women vote. It took women 72 years to get the vote officially.
In New Jersey when the State joined the Union, women could vote if their husband died. This
only lasted a year after New Jersey became a State. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has
never been ratified. It was first proposed in 1923. She showed another video on the ERA. This
video was from Equal Means Equal. Roe v Wade was reauthorization of choice. One in 3 or 1 in
four women will be battered in their lifetime. Six women are buried each day due to violence.
11.9 percent of women in the U.S. live in poverty. For women of color it is 21.4 percent. Wom-
en earn 82 percent for every dollar a man earns. It is about the women. Women’s labor is un-
dervalued. Women earn 21 percent of engineering degrees. Women are about 48 percent of
the labor market. Women have higher rates of chronic conditions – e.g. arthritis, asthma and
depression. Advocate – do not be silent! Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray will be on the quarter this year.
She showed us a video about her. Murray’s first two years in law school, she was not allowed to
talk. She identified as non-binary. Fifteen years before Rosa Parks, Murray was a 15-year-old
on a bus and refused to give up her seat to a white woman. 85 percent of rapes are acquaint-
ance rapes. We are so ready to fight that we don’t listen. When Jill walks into a room, she looks
at who is missing – not who is there. She urged us to “Never stop growing to the sun.”
Next were the breakout sessions. Those of us on Zoom did not have a choice of which of three
sessions to attend. Our first session was Aria-Vue Daugherty (she talked earlier this year at
CFBPW Winter Board meeting). She was on Zoom. She is the California Chair of the Young
Feminist Party and will be attending Harvard in the fall. Her topic was “Intersectionality of
ERA.” She pointed out that the Constitution does not protect sexuality. We do not have sex or
gender equality. The 14th Amendment does not guarantee sex and gender equality. 17-29 per-
cent of transgender teens have attempted suicide in the past year according to the Trevor Pro-
ject. Women are underrepresented in clinical trials. 75 percent of all prescriptions side effects
occur in women because drugs are mainly tested on men before they come to market. 82 per-
cent of clinical tests are run by men. Women are more likely not to be believed by doctors. 31
percent of women diagnosed with a chronic condition felt they had to prove their symptoms to
the health care provider whereas only 19 percent of the men felt they had to prove their symp-
toms. Today the SNAP program allowance (food stamps) in 49 States cannot be used to pur-
chase menstrual products. Twenty States still charge sales tax on menstrual products. Home-
less women are work affected by this. The ERA would remedy this. Gender minorities are the
fastest growing demographic of homeless Americans. Women are less likely to use homeless
shelters. Women of color are overrepresented in the homeless populations. 57 percent of
homeless women cite domestic violence as the primary reason for their homelessness. We need
to show that the ERA is not a single issue. We need to have Congress pass SJ Res 39 and HJ
Res 82 eliminating the deadline for the ERA. If the ERA is only in State Constitutions, federal
law could overturn State ERAs. It is about oppressing women that the ERA has not been rati-
fied.
The second breakout session that those on Zoom could attend was “ERA 2024, How and Why.”
The former Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Kathy Bonk were on Zoom. ERANow is Malo-
ney’s effort for the ERA. She worked on the ratification of the ERA during her 30 years in office.
They are trying to move the ERA to a floor vote in the House via a Discharge Petition. It is
called Discharge Petition #6. They need four Republicans to join all the Democrats to make this
happen. They have started Mayor for ERA. The Mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York
and Albany have all signed on. More than 100,000 people have signed Sign4ERA. The ERA
would allow enforcement of equal pay for equal work. We need to ratify the ERA now in case in
the election we lose Congressional support. Kathy Bonk of ERA 2024 pointed out that Supreme
Court Justice Scalia said the Constitution does not prohibit discrimination. The Chevron decision
shifted power from the Executive Branch to the judiciary. It jeopardizes a lot of decisions not
passed by Congress. Kathy’s contact information is kathybonk@mac.com or (202) 234-6629.
Maloney said that we need to get people to sign the petition. Get Mayors to become Mayors for
ERA. Congress can remove the time limit. President Biden supports the ERA subject to the vote
of Congress. It is discriminatory telling women what they can do with their body. Bonk said the
Senate has no discharge process. Maloney said that if don’t get the ERA ratified now, we will
probably not get it ratified in her lifetime. “It is impossible until it is done.” New York has a
State ERA on their November ballot. Bonk pointed out that one from Zonta is doing the Social
Media for ERA 2024.

The business meeting closed at 1:52 P.M. California time.