Moving Forward Together: Day 22
March 22: The Equal Rights Amendment & the Crone’s Long Memory for Justice
Photo caption: Alice Paul toasting (with grape juice) the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, August 26, 1920
Photo credit: By Harris & Ewing, Inc. - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs divisionunder the digital ID cph.3a21383.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2556292
I had a technical glitch yesterday, and I was so busy that I didn’t notice until almost 11 pm, and by then I was too tired to care. So, here’s yesterday’s intended post!
For over a century, women have been told to wait—wait for the right time, the right Congress, the right court, the right moment—to be recognized as full and equal citizens under the law.
And for over a century, they have refused to wait quietly.
On March 22, 1972, the U.S. Senate finally passed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and sent it to the states for ratification—a major milestone in a battle that began with Alice Paul and the National Woman’s Party in 1923. But the ERA’s journey would not be simple. It remains unfinished. Unratified. Unresolved. And yet, it is still very much alive.
The Equal Rights Amendment is deceptively simple. Just 24 words:
"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
It was designed to guarantee legal equality for all Americans regardless of sex, addressing systemic inequalities in employment, pay, healthcare, education, and beyond.
But in a country founded on ideals of freedom and justice, this clear declaration of gender equality has faced a century of delay, resistance, and political gamesmanship.
A Timeline of Resistance and Resolve
🔹 1923 – Alice Paul, suffragist and founder of the National Woman’s Party, introduces the first version of the ERA.
🔹 1940s–60s – The amendment is reintroduced in every session of Congress, but progress is slow.
🔹 March 22, 1972 – The U.S. Senate finally approves the ERA. To be added to the Constitution, it must be ratified by 38 states within 7 years.
🔹 By 1977 – 35 states ratify the ERA—just three short of the required number.
🔹 1982 – After a deadline extension and a surge of anti-feminist backlash, no additional states ratify it. The deadline expires. Five states attempt to rescind their support.
🔹 1990s–2000s – ERA activists push the "three-state strategy" to revive the fight, arguing that ratifications should still count.
🔹 2017–2020 – Nevada, Illinois, and finally Virginia ratify the ERA, bringing the total to 38 states.
🔹 2021–2024 – Congress and courts debate whether the ERA can be recognized despite the missed deadline. Some lawmakers push to remove the time limit retroactively.
🔹 January 17, 2025 – In a bold move, President Joe Biden declares the ERA to be the 28th Amendment, stating:
"It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people... the 28th Amendment is the law of the land."
Still, the legal status of the ERA remains contested, with opponents arguing that the time limit invalidates late ratifications, and supporters insisting that equality should not have an expiration date.
Alice Paul, the ERA, & the Crone’s Memory of What’s Due
Alice Paul, one of the fiercest and most radical suffragists of her time, knew that winning the vote wasn’t the end of the struggle—it was the beginning.
She drafted the ERA in 1923, only three years after the 19th Amendment passed. For her, true equality meant more than voting—it meant economic fairness, protection under the law, and recognition as full human beings in every sphere of life.
The ERA is her unfinished spell—a piece of magic forged in ink and resistance, still waiting for the last ritual to be completed.
And like the Crone, Alice Paul carried a long memory—a memory of promises made and broken, of battles won and rights denied, of progress delayed in the name of convenience or fear.
The Crone doesn’t forget. She doesn’t let others forget. She knows that unfinished work is still alive, and that even a century later, we owe it to ourselves—and those who come after—to finish what was started.
A Spell to Enshrine Equality & Sustain the Fight
This spell is for those who are still fighting, who are tired but determined, who carry the burden of unfinished justice but know it is worth carrying. It calls upon the spirit of the ERA, of Alice Paul, of every woman who has demanded more than what she was offered.
What You’ll Need:
A silver or white candle (for clarity, justice, and persistence)
A feather or pen (symbolizing law and written truth)
A piece of paper (to write your vow or your vision of equality)
A stone or key (to anchor the spell and symbolize access to what’s rightfully yours)
The Ritual:
1. Light the Candle of Clarity
Light the silver or white candle, saying:
"This flame burns for justice long denied.
For words written but not yet honored.
For promises made and waiting to be kept."
2. Write Your Commitment
On the paper, write a short declaration—your vision of equality, freedom, or fairness. It could be as simple as:
"Equality under the law is my right."
"I will not let this fight be forgotten."
"The ERA is not a dream—it is a demand."
3. Speak & Ground the Spell
Hold the pen or feather over the flame (carefully), then touch the stone or key, saying:
"By ink and fire, I make it known:
The work is not done. The vow is not broken.
The promise lives, and I carry it forward."
Place the paper beneath the stone or key and let it rest beside the flame.
4. Carry the Magic Forward
Let the candle burn for a while longer, then snuff it out. Keep the stone or key as a reminder that equality is not a gift—it’s a right. And we’re not done fighting for it.
The Equal Rights Amendment was never just about legal language. It was, and still is, about honoring the fullness of who women are—and ensuring that no one is denied justice because of their sex or gender.
We are the descendants of those who pushed this amendment forward for a century. We are the ones holding the line now.
We move forward together—rooted in history, fueled by resistance, and weaving the future with our own hands.