World Affairs Council
April 8 - Portland, Oregon
Hillary Clinton Wants Constitutional Amendment That Requires Equal Rights For Women
Washington Post -
April 9, 2014
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton weighed in on a proposed Oregon constitutional amendment that would require equal rights for women, saying Tuesday “it would be nice to be in the constitution.”
Speaking in Portland, the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state said a debate in Oregon about equal rights might spread beyond the state’s borders.
“Some people say, ‘It’s only symbolic,’” Clinton said. “Well, yes, but symbolism is important.”
Outside, petition circulators collected signatures to place the measure on the 2014 ballot as people waited to enter the Keller Auditorium before Clinton’s speech.
DATE: July 7, 2020
RE: VoteERA.org Amicus Brief filed today in federal court.
VoteERA.org filed an Amicus Brief in the U.S. District Court for the District Court of Columbia in support of the Plaintiffs.
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, STATE OF ILLINOIS, and STATE OF NEVADA v. DAVID S. Ferriero, in his capacity as Archivist of the United States, Defendant.
The state of Virginia was the final 38th state to ratify the Federal ERA in January 2020, and the Archivist has recorded the ratification in the National Archives, but will not fulfill his duty to publish, certify and declare the ERA as the 28th Amendment as all requirements have been fulfilled as per Article V of the United States Constitution.
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The Democratic Vistas of 2014:
Five Reforms to Make our Politics Matter
An agenda of constitutional amendments, structural changes and referendum votes for raises and rights.
By John Nichols
The Nation
January 1, 2014
1. Demand a Right to Vote for all Americans
2. Get More States on Record for Real Reform of Elections
3. Vote for a Raise
4. Vote for Equal Rights
Beyond Washington, twenty-one state constitutions embrace ERA-like equal rights provisions And the state of Oregon is likely to see a test in 2014. Late in December, the group VoteERA.org won approval to start gathering 116,284 valid signatures to place a state ERA proposal on the November ballot. “Shouldn’t women be explicitly equal in every Constitution?” Leanne Littrell DiLorenzo, the president of VoteERA.org, told reporters. “To me, the answer is an absolute ‘Yes, of course.’”
5. Work to Make Every Election Matter
Clinton: Women are 'agents of change, drivers of progress'
Portland Tribune
April 9, 2014
'Something beyond your borders'
according to Clinton, Oregon and Portland specifically have the ability to set a precedent for both economic prosperity and the promotion of gender equality. Upon being made aware that a version of the Equal Rights Amendment, which has never passed on a federal level, has been proposed to the Oregon state Constitution, she said, “Some of us remember the battle over the national ERA, and we were quite close to necessary number of states to recommend its inclusion in the constitution, and then just a flood of horrible consequences that would occur because of that were publicized and argued over and it just stopped people in their tracks. So some people say, ‘Well, it’s only symbolic.’ Well, yes, but symbolism is important, and it can also be a great message and even lead to actions that further equality, so I think I you can have that kind of debate here in this state, you might be starting something beyond your borders.
“So, I would be interested in seeing how that turned out.” Read More
Clinton: Women's rights will boost economy
Katu 2 News
April 9, 2014
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Hillary Rodham Clinton weighed in on a proposed Oregon constitutional amendment that would require equal rights for women, saying Tuesday "it would be nice to be in the constitution."
Speaking in Portland, the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state said "a debate in Oregon about equal rights might spread beyond the state's borders."
...
Outside, petition circulators collected signatures to place the measure on the 2014 ballot as people waited to enter the Keller Auditorium before Clinton's speech.
Presented in conjunction with the 2014 International Speakers Series - "Women Changing the World!" Leanne Littrell DiLorenzo, President and Founder, VoteERA.org
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY | CONNECTING OREGON & THE WORLD! THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014 !
Could an Equal Rights Amendment be the next feather in the cap of Oregon’s tradition of bold global leadership?
Daily we read about the violation of women’s rights across the globe: rights to education, freedom from fear, the right to participate fully in the political, economic and cultural life of neighborhood and nation –
yet there is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that guarantees women the same rights as men. Women in this country still earn 77 cents for every dollar a man makes; in The World Economic Forum's 2013 Global Gender Gap report ranking 134 countries for gender parity the U.S. came in at number 23, behind Burundi (and a point lower than the previous year’s index); and the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that refuses to ratify the UN Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) – putting us in the company of Sudan, Somalia, and Iran, three nations known for their human rights violations. How might VoteERA – which would ratify equal rights of women in the Oregon constitution —make a difference, beyond our backyards? Currently a federal ERA is three states shy of the votes needed to become part of the U.S. Constitution – and could go a long way toward improving our human rights standing in the global community. Could it be that the old dictum to “think globally, act locally” means that a global revolution begins at home? Join us for this reception and an exciting discussion with Leanne Littrell DiLorenzo, Founder and President of VoteERA.org in commemoration of International Women’s Day. Presented in conjunction with the 2014 International Speaker Series – “Women Changing World Affairs of Oregon 1200 SW Park Avenue, Third Floor Portland, OR 97205 United States PHONE: 503-306-5252 Free for Members $5 General Public Register: worldoregon.org
Susan Nielsen: "We've come a long way, baby, on equal rights in Oregon (or have we?)"
Oregonian
January 4, 2014
"Leanne Littrell DiLorenzo, who leads VoteERA.org, makes a compelling case that rights are safest when they’re permanently set in a constitution, not just temporarily covered in statute or case law." Read more
December 30, 2013 - Portland, Oregon - Oregonian news story by Yuxing Zheng
"Oregon Equal Rights Amendment approved for signature gathering"
June 11, 2013 - Portland, Oregon -Oregonian news story - by Yuxing Zheng
"Oregon voters could get say on Equal Rights Amendment to state constitution."
April 9, 2013 - Portland, Oregon - VoteERA.org Press Release
EQUAL PAY DAY - Passing the ERA in the Oregon Legislature helps with pay disparity.
Backers want Oregon ERA on ballot
KOIN News
December 30, 2013
Supporters are gathering signatures for the November election to put a state Equal Rights Amendment to protect all Oregonians against
gender discrimination.
December 30, 2013 - Salem, Oregon - Statesman Journal
Push is on for Equal Rights Amendment
The Associated Press
Ashland, Oregon - The Daily Tidings
Astoria, Oregon - The Daily Astorian
Coos Bay, Oregon - The World
Corvallis, Oregon - Gazette Times
La Grande, Oregon - La Grande Observer
Lebanon, Oregon - Lebanon-Express
Houston, Texas - The Houston Chronicle
San Francisco, California - San Francisco Chronicle
Clark County, Washington - The Columbian
Seattle, Washington - The Seattle Post
Backers hope to put Oregon ERA on fall ballot
Signature gathering drive underway for state equal-rights amendment
KATU.COM
December 30, 2013
"The point is to not have women be vulnerable to only case law. Case law can be overturned. It can be reinterpreted five years from now, 50 years from now. But ifyou have the words in the constitution, that's as much protection as you can get," explained Littrell DiLorenzo." Read more
5/30/13
Madeline DuPlois, 2013 VoteERA.org
Oregon Founder Scholarship
Marshfield High School, Coos Bay, OR
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