Religions for Peace USA joins #Faith4ERA: Ensuring Rights are Not Denied on the Basis of Sex
Religions for Peace USA is thrilled to be joining a coalition of faith allies working to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution this year as part of the groundbreaking, interfaith #Faith4ERA Campaign.
The ERA is a basic human rights reform ensuring that, “rights will not be denied or abridged… on account of sex.” It represents 150 years of struggle to afford women equal citizenship stature in our nation’s founding charter.
We first announced our support of #Faith4ERA last Thursday during our webinar “Equal Rights for All: The Growing Interfaith Movement for the ERA,” which featured two leading faith experts on the ERA: Allyson McKinney Timm of Justice Revival and Ani Zonneveld of Muslims for Progressive Values. You can watch the full event now here.
What’s At Stake?
The ERA would further empower Congress to legislate on pressing national issues such as sexual and domestic violence, and raise the standard by which courts scrutinize gender-based discrimination.
It holds promise to better address the persistent gender wage gap, pregnancy discrimination, and challenges to combining paid work and caregiving. It could also protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The United States is currently the only democracy and one of only 18 countries worldwide that does not explicitly protect women’s rights or prohibit gender discrimination in its constitution.
The Need for Diverse Faith Leadership
Both experts spoke powerfully to the importance of faith leadership for the ERA.
“The ERA to the U.S. Constitution would allow our laws to uphold a spiritual truth we all know well: that all human beings are born free and equal in human rights,” noted Ani Zonneveld, quoting the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Recognizing the ERA as the 28th Amendment would send an explicit message about the God-given dignity of the human person – upheld as our human rights under the law,” affirmed Allyson McKinney Timm.
You Can Take Action Right Now
For faith leaders and representatives:
- Sign the historic Interfaith Statement in Support of the Equal Rights Amendment, which over 270 faith leaders from the Jewish, Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and Sikh traditions have already endorsed.
- Share your endorsement of the statement with your congregation and on social media, tagging RfP USA and Justice Revival
- Share the statement with other U.S. faith leaders and representatives
For people living in the United States:
- Contact your Members of Congress to urge them to remove the deadline to ratify the ERA using a pre-drafted letter from the ERA Coalition
- Share the Interfaith Statement in Support of the Equal Rights Amendment with your faith leader or representative and encourage them to sign on
For everyone:
- Get the most recent updates by following Justice Revival on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn and signing up for email updates
- Want to do even more? Contact Mary Katherine McCullough of Justice Revival to learn how to use your time and talents to secure equal rights for all under the U.S. Constitution