ERA Centennial Convention

SAVE THE DATE & JOIN US JULY 21-22, 2023 TO COMMEMORATE THE 100-YEAR LONG STRUGGLE TO RATIFY THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT!

Purpose: The ERA Centennial Convention seeks to mark the important historic milestone of the ERA Centennial, celebrate the women and queer people who have fought for the ERA for 100 years, push for finalizing the federal ERA, and launch the grassroots fight for a New York state-level ERA ballot initiative. The goal is to mark the century-long fight to get the ERA into the Constitution by ending it.

Objective: The objective of the ERA Centennial Convention is to hold an intergenerational convening on July 21-22, 2023 in Seneca Falls, NY at the First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls where the National Woman’s Party first unveiled the ERA—at the exact same podium Alice Paul gave her speech that day, 100 years ago. The event will be focused on cultivating the next generation of ERA activists and helping them see their place in history as constitution makers. The target will be to have at least one ERA activist from all 50 states attend the in-person event to build a nationwide network of advocates, and set goals for constitutional equality for the next year.

The Convention will be action-oriented. We will ground ourselves in a critical examination of the past in order to make choices for the future that will help create a more diverse, inclusive, effective ERA movement going forward.

Organizations: The lead organizations carrying out the Centennial Convention are Equal Rights Action, Columbia Law School's ERA Project and Generation Ratify. These organizations will work in collaboration with a large coalition of youth-centered and gender equity organizations to recruit a diverse group of convention delegates, plan the weekend’s events and produce a declaration and collective action plan to work together to finalize the federal ERA and get state ERAs passed in all 23 remaining states.

Convention Schedule (work in progress):

June/ July 2023

Convention delegates will be asked to participate in a 5-week curriculum in preparation for our convening. This curriculum will help everyone be prepared to hit the ground running when we arrive in-person in Seneca Falls. It will be prepared and delivered by scholars and ERA advocates in collaboration with Columbia Law School's ERA Project. The curriculum will be accessible for people of all ages and experience levels, and be conducted via 5 Zoom sessions.

Thursday July 20, 2023

Arrival of Convention delegates in Seneca Falls

Friday July 21, 2023

9:00am

Opening of the Convention at the First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls

9:30am

Introductions & interactive exercise

10:00am

Breakout sessions

—State ERA Battles & Intersectional Organizing

—Direct Action Bootcamp: Effective Organizing for Equality

—Global Feminist Constitutional Change Movements (International Solidarity)

—The ERA is Queer & Why LGTBQIA+ Communities Will Benefit Most from Constitutional Equality

11:30am

Lunch provided on site

12:30pm

Feminist History Tour—Women's Rights National Historical Park, downtown Seneca Falls

2:00pm

Breakout sessions

—The Best Way to Protect Abortion Rights? Federal & State ERAs!

—How to Be an Anti-Racist Feminist

—Women & Queer People As Constitution Makers

—Feminists of Faith for Equality

3:30pm

Convention declaration/ ERA road map drafting session

Breakout groups by region

4:30pm

Day’s closing remarks

5:00pm

Take historic 100-Year ERA Anniversary Photo in front of the First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls

5:30 - 6:30 March and ERA Rally with Central New York NOW, Rochester NOW, Women's March Seneca FallsWomen in Leadership and Learning (Academy Square, Seneca Falls)

7:30 pm Optional: Community Service Awards @ the National Women's Hall of Fame

Saturday July 22, 2023

10:00am

Opening of Day 2 at the First Presbyterian Church of Seneca Falls & Generation Ratify’s 4th Birthday Celebration

10:30am

Convention declaration/ ERA road map drafting session 2

Breakout groups by region revisit collective document and add revisions

1:00pm

Lunch

Picnic at Suffrage Park on the river (27 Fall St, Seneca Falls, NY 13148)

2:00pm

Report back to full convention and finalize group draft plan

3:00pm

Official vote on convention declaration

4:30pm

Closing ceremony

5:00pm

End Convention

5:30pm

Cross New York state relay ending in Seneca Falls with American historic marathon runner Kathrine Switzer— National Women's Hall of FamePeople's Park

Optional Feminist History Tours

Sunday July 23, 2023

—Harriet Tubman National Historical Park (180 South St, Auburn, NY 13021)

—New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center (25 South St, Auburn, NY 13021)

—Matilda Joslyn Gage Museum and Dialogue Center (210 E Genesee St, Fayetteville, NY 13066)

—Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan/ Seneca Bark Longhouse (7000 Co Rd 41, Victor, NY 14564)

—Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass gravesites (Mt. Hope Cemetery Rochester, NY)