There are two things you can do now to help smooth the path for an Equal Rights Amendment in Minnesota and the US.
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The reason so much great legislation (codified abortion rights, Paid Family Leave, universal free school meals, steeply progressive child tax credit, etc.,) got passed in MN last session was that the DFL controlled the House, the Senate and the governorship. However, the margins were slim and these seats are not guaranteed this election.
It is very important we get to work to support MN candidates in critical districts and tight races by donating to their campaigns, door knocking and phone/text banking for them.
Here are just a few great candidates to consider:
MN Senate
Ann Johnson Stewart (SD45, Minnetonka) - Stewart must win for the DFL to keep its very slim majority (34-33) in the senate.
MN House
Kari Rehrauer (35B - Coon Rapids, SE Andover)
Lucia Wroblewski (41A - Lake Elmo)
Lucy Rehm (48B - Chanhassen)
Matt Norris (32B - Blaine, Lexington)
Zack Stephenson (35A - Anoka/Coon Rapids)
Other critical races to consider include Virginia/Eveleth (7B); St Cloud (14A and 14B); N. Mankato (18A); Winona (26A); Champlin (34A); Lino Lakes (36A); Cottage Grove/Hastings (41B); Long Lake (45A); Shakopee (54A); Lakeville (57B). Find details of these races and the candidates running in this excellent article by MinnPost.
Find a candidate near you, and sign up to support their campaign in any way you can!
First and foremost, encourage all the people in your life to vote. Make sure they are registered to vote, know what’s on their ballot and have a plan to vote.
Find ways to:
Doorknock and phone bank for candidates you care about
Write letters/postcards to voters
Donate to campaign/s
Deadlines for Registering to Vote:
Online - October 15th
By Mail - October 15th
In Person - November 5th 2024 (in Minnesota you can register to vote when you go to the polls to vote on Election Day!!
Everything you need to know about voting:
To see What’s on Your Ballot, check your Voter Registration, find your Polling Place, find out more about candidates, check out the League of Women Voters
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JOIN Women's March MN for Sue Scott's Island of Discarded Women Live Show & Podcast on Thursday, October 3rd at Crooners Supper Club!
An exciting evening FULL of powerful music and stories that will Fire Us Up, motivate us and get us to the polls! Let's Put a Woman in Charge!
Women's March MN will be at the show with an action info table for steps you can take to help to "Get Out the Vote" this November!
BUY Tickets online. Get Women’s March MN 20% discount by using the code IODW20.
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The Equal Rights Amendment is getting a vote on the House Floor on Monday, May 13 at 11am. Depending on the outcome of the Floor Session there may be a few more crucial sessions – although Monday is important because Representatives can bring amendments to the floor. Some amendments may try to qualify who deserves equal rights and who doesn’t as well as decide if all people deserve equal rights all the time. We’re talking about bodily autonomy and human autonomy.
The anti-ERA crowd have been at the Capitol in force, and they will be back. Please join us at the Capitol to show support for the ERA.
Schedule for the day:
9am Gender Justice ERA Rally: Rotunda
9:30am House Press Conference: Basement Press Room
10:30am do visibility: House Chamber
Session could go long, so please join us at any time. Your presence will make us stronger. Wear green or white to show your true colors.
Not able to join us in person?
Call, email, write to, or visit your state senator and representative to ask them to pass the Equal Rights Amendment bill in Minnesota. (Find your legislator online.) Also, you can watch the meeting remotely.
Read MoreHere are a few opportunities to make calls to support the North STAR Act, an act that protects immigrants in the state of Minnesota by prohibiting state and local law enforcement from using state resources for the purpose of civil immigration enforcement.
Each session will be hybrid.
Monday April 22nd- Evening shift= 5:00-8:00 pm; Training from 5:00-5:30 pm.
Hosted by Jewish Community Action
If you have questions, call or text or email Amy at 651-789-7389 or amy@jewishcommunityaction.org
Thursday April 25th- Lunch time shift= 11:00am-1:00 pm
Hosted by MN Freedom Fund and Jewish Community Action
If you have questions, call or text or email Ash at 952-353-6932 or ash@mnfreedomfund.org
Monday April 29th- Evening shift=6:00-8:00 pm
Hosted by MN8 and MN Freedom Fund
If you have questions, call or text or email Chenda at 651-600-2205 or chenda@minnesota8.org
The official RSVP link: https://www.mobilize.us/mnfreedomfund/event/619920/
The short RSVP link for on graphics or texting folks: https://bit.ly/northstarphonebankAll are welcome. No prior experience needed.
We need your support immediately! Reach out to your legislators to express that there's no better time than now to pass the Equal Rights Amendment. We are currently in the doldrums of the legislative session, waiting for agreement between the House and Senate. The Spring Recess ends April 2nd) and it's a great time to contact your district legislators.
What's the delay? Pass the ERA!
Find your legislator
Tell them in your own words how important the ERA is to you by phone or email.
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Action to take:
Contact your representative and senator and urge them to support this bill HF4053/SF3967.
To find out who your legislator is online.
Useful details for your message to your legislators:
One-pager on Abortion Coverage Act by UnRestrict Minnesota
Session Daily article on bill.
Thank you for taking action on this important bill!
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We are thrilled and honored to be the beneficiaries of the Shania Twain Tribute at the Turf Club on September 1. It's become an annual tradition that we enjoy so much.
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The MN HOUSE needs to complete 1 final step - to pass the State ERA Ballot Initiative on the House Floor by Monday night!!
ACTION STEPS:
✅ Contact House Speaker Melissa Hortman to call for the vote on ERA Bill SF37 as written. Speaker Melissa Hortman:(rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn.gov), 651-296-4280.
✅ Contact Representative Jamie Long to support the ERA Bill SF37 as written. House Majority Leader Jamie Long:(rep.jamie.long@house.mn.gov), 651-296-5375.
✅ Prepare to show up on Monday, May 22nd, time TBD.
Find your Legislator.
Why is it important to pass ERA Bills in 2023? So there is adequate time to educate the public on the amendment prior to voting on the general ballot in 2024. Learn more.
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Time to act now to protest children online!
The MN AADC bill would protect children online, by reaching vendors duringin the design phase. The bill would require all online products and services likely to be accessed by children to do a risk assessment and mitigate risks to children online during the design phase and before the harm can happen. It is the best of this type of bill in the country at present. Behind the scenes Big Tech agrees, but this is not stopping them and folks from the StarTribune (new CEO Steve Grove, former DEED Commissioner and former employee to Big Tech’s YouTube) from trying to kill it quietly by getting to key Senators in an attempt to stop these online protections for kids as they’ll mean putting children over profit. In particular it seems that Sen. Latz needs to be encouraged to support this bill. If he is your senator, that's the best. However, even if you don't live in his district, I am told it is worth a shot. But it needs to happen NOW.
This is the ask from supporters of this bill:
Pls call, email, reach out to Senator Latz. Tell him something like -
"It is time to protect our children online. It is time to prioritize our kids, over big tech profits. Parents, families and communities demand that you get out of the way and pass the Age-Appropriate Design Code (AADC) NOW!"
Latz Capitol Office
651-297-8065
Email - https://www.senate.mn/members/email-form/1102
If you have extra time, pls also reach out to:
Senate Leader Kari Dziedzic and Senate President Bobby Joe Champion to urge them to pass the AADC this session.
The MN AADC has already passed as a standalone bill (HF2257) in the House and it has also been amended into the Deep Fake bill (HF1370), but is under threat of not continuing to be in there (or something like that).
Thanks for all your organizational support for ERA so far. It is making a difference. ERAMN is turning up the pressure and setting a timeline for passing the ERA Bills in 2023. We don’t want to wait until the last week of session or be pushed out to 2024 session. Please promote and share the attached #ERAbyMothersDay graphics.
It is crunch time and we could really use your support now to get the Equal Rights Amendment over the finish lie in 2023. As allied organizations we would be grateful if you would reach out to legislators on behalf of your organization and let them know that you would like to see the ERA passed. We are currently stuck in the Rules committee (Rep. Jamie Long).
House Majority Leader Jamie Long (rep.jamie.long@house.mn.gov), 651-296-5375
House Speaker Melissa Hortman (rep.melissa.hortman@house.mn.gov), 651-296-4280
Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic
(sen.kari.dziedzic@senate.mn), 651-296-7809Senate President Bobby Champion
(sen.bobby.champion@senate.mn), 651-296-9246Contact All Senate Assistant Majority Leaders
Two sets of ERA Resolutions related to equality are pending in the MN legislature!
1. Resolutions SF47/HF197 calling for the affirmation that the Equal Rights Amendment is valid and is the 28th Amendment Chief authors: Senator Sandy Pappas & Rep. Kristin Bahner https://eramn.org/2023-minnesota-federal-era-resolution/ This is headed for a floor vote. Similar resolutions have been passed in CA, HI, MI, CO
2. MN' s STATE ERA Bill (SF37 & HF173) Chief authors: Senator Mary Kunesh & Rep Kaohly Her. https://eramn.org/2023-minnesota-state-era-bill/ This a proposed Amendment to the MN Constitution guaranteeing equality for all. This bill is currently being held in the Rules Committee by Representative Long. It needs to get out of committee and pass in 2023 so there is adequate time to educate the public prior to it being placed on the ballot in 2024.
Please contact your legislators and tell them to support both bills now. Most importantly, please contact LEGISLATIVE LEADERS House Speaker Melissa Hortman, House Majority Leader Jamie Long, and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic and tell them the MN ERA must be a top priority:
- No other movement has waited longer than equal rights for all. Call for the vote on ERA now. The time is always right to do what is right.
- What’s the hold-up? Call for the vote today on the ERA.
- We respectfully request that you take up the Equal Rights Amendment bills post haste. 100 years is too long to wait for equal justice for all.
You can FIND YOUR LEGISLATOR HERE:
https://www.gis.lcc.mn.gov/iMaps/districts/
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This week, ERA Minnesota invited me to testify with them to support their bills in the Minnesota House and Senate. (One bill asks legislators to put the Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot to let voters decide if the ERA should be part of the Minnesota constitution. The other bill would send a resolution to Congress urging them to ratify the federal ERA.) I testified with my mom and my youngest daughter – three generations of one family experiencing life without equal rights.
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The Legislative Session is happening now. At the most basic level, it’s the time when the House and the Senate are making decisions on laws and budgets. It’s also the time to remind your representatives what you want. Below are actions you can take to get started:
Find out who your reps are online.
Follow your reps on social media and comment on their posts.
Send emails to your legislators to tell them how you want to represent your interests.
Find out if they have town halls coming up and attend them in person or online. Same with city council, school board or other local policymakers. To find city council members, check your city website; for school board members, locate your school district name and search for its website.
Follow bills that interest you. You will get an email when relevant actions or meetings happen. Tell the people around you what's going on. Knowledge is power!
Attend events, such as rallies at the Minnesota Capitol, to stand with others to show the reps what you want. These are powerful and uplifting events. We track them on the WMM calendar. (If you see an item to add, please let us know at admin@womensmarchmn.com.
Last night the Little Too Short to be Stormtroopers hosted a benefit for Women’s March Minnesota and ERA Minnesota at the Turf Club. We sold merchandise talked to lots of folks about what’s happening at the Legislature and the need to codify equal right for everyone. We also enjoyed some amazing music with Faith Boblett, Molly Brandt, Clare Doyle, Madison Hallman, Jaedyn James, Leslie Vincent, Savannah Smith, Siri Undlin and Cole Diamond starting the night with songs of Alan Jackson.
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The Minnesota Senate will be voting on the PRO Act (Protect Reproductive Options) on Friday. It will protect Minnesotans’ right to contraception, the right to carry a pregnancy to term and the right to abortion – free from interference by anti-abortion politicians who seek to enact or defend medically unnecessary barriers to comprehensive reproductive health care. We have heard that a few senators are getting bombarded with messages (bordering harassment) from anti-abortion activists in advance of the Senate vote on the PRO Act, which is scheduled for this Friday. In addition to sending a note to your own Senator, please send or call with a message of support to these 5 DFL Senators and encourage them to stay strong, remind them that we have their backs, and that the majority of Minnesotans want to protect the right to make their own choices about reproductive healthcare, including access to abortion. Minnesotans want to make their own personal decisions about when and whether to have a family. We cannot allow the anti-abortion extremists to drown out that message.
These are the 5 Senators who need to hear from us now (and please share with your groups):
Judy Seeberger (41, DFL) 651-297-8060
Heather Gustafson (36, DFL) 651-296-1253
Aric Putnam (14, DFL) 651-296-6455
Robert J. Kupec (04, DFL) 651-296-3205
Grant Hauschild (03, DFL) 651-296-1789
Here is a sample message (but of course, please you can write your own):
"Senator xxx, I want to thank you so much for your work supporting women's healthcare decisions. It is so important to me to be able to talk privately with my healthcare team to make the best decisions for myself around my reproductive health care. I have heard that you have been receiving some pretty hateful messages from people who are trying to restrict women's rights to bodily autonomy. I know how vitriolic the speech can get and I'm sorry you have to endure that. I stand with you and support you as you vote Yes for the Pro Act on Friday morning."
These are the 5 Senators who need to hear from us now (and please share with your groups):
Judy Seeberger (41, DFL) 651-297-8060
Heather Gustafson (36, DFL) 651-296-1253
Aric Putnam (14, DFL) 651-296-6455
Robert J. Kupec (04, DFL) 651-296-3205
Grant Hauschild (03, DFL) 651-296-1789
Here is a sample message (but of course, please you can write your own):
"Senator xxx, I want to thank you so much for your work supporting women's healthcare decisions. It is so important to me to be able to talk privately with my healthcare team to make the best decisions for myself around my reproductive health care. I have heard that you have been receiving some pretty hateful messages from people who are trying to restrict women's rights to bodily autonomy. I know how vitriolic the speech can get and I'm sorry you have to endure that. I stand with you and support you as you vote Yes for the Pro Act on Friday morning."
The Minnesota Committee in Support of a Democratic Iran (MCSDI) is hosting a rally every Saturdays from 4-6pm starting at Orchestra Hall on Nicollet Mall and 11th Street. The rally is to support the first female led Revolution of our time called “Zan Zendegi Azadi “ which means “Woman Life Freedom”.
Iranian Women, despite brutal crackdown and the shutting down of the internet, have not back down. MN protests are happening at the same time as other protests around the world and and have had hundreds of people to match. All are welcome.
We are going to talk to the planners of the event on November 14 to learn more about what is happening and what it means to the people in Iran and to those of us outside the country. We will hear from:
Afsaneh Motameni who worked as a consultant and System Architect for Fortune 500 Companies including Delta Airlines, Northwest Airlines, ING and holds two Master’s degrees and a certification in Executive Program Artificial Intelligence from MIT. She was the co-founder of Visible Customer, software which was sold to MN Automobile Dealers Association. She is the visionary behind the new startup Body Zoom, a software using advance Artificial Intelligence for exercise rehabilitation programs to decrease health care and workers comp cost
Christopher Behnam who is the founder of Help Free Iran and United Airlines 777Captain and proud recipient of the 2018 Superior Airmanship Award. He was born in Iran and is a passionate Iranian human rights advocate and motivational speaker. His book, The Flying Lion, is due to release early next year.
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Thank you to the planners, the volunteers, the people who honked at us on the bridges and the passersby who joined us for our MN Weekend of Action. On Friday, we made posters and signs for Sunday’s Pro-Choice Bridge Brigade. Saturday, 20 people came out to write postcards to help Flip the MN Senate; more than 700 postcards were created! We enjoyed perfect Fall weather as we door knocked for a phenomenal Pro-Choice candidate, Judy Seeberger (SD41) on Saturday afternoon in Cottage Grove. Sunday morning, 30 plus volunteers held up Vote Pro-Choice signs on three prominent bridges in the Twin Cities before the Vikings game. (Let’s hope their win rubs off on us!)
Some of us attended the live taping of the Island of Discarded Women (IODW) Sunday night. We helped attendees register to vote and sent postcards to select addresses encouraging folks to vote for pro-choice candidates.
At the event, Oogie_Push from the Meskwaki Nation near Tama, Iowa told a story about making calls to encourage voters in her community. They made hundreds of calls - often reaching people they knew. Many decided after the call to vote. In the end, their candidate won by 48 votes. (You can hear more stories once the podcast IOWD broadcasts!)
We make a difference! Know that and please continue to make a difference. It’s going to take all of us!
If you have an event you want us to promote, please send it to us admin@womensmarchmn.com. We have postcards and scripts if you want to send them, again email us and we’ll find a way to get you the supplies. (Like the woman who needs 400+ for her apartment neighbors to fill out!) We will continue to keep our calendar updated.
We can do it together!!
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