06.05.20
Murkowski Highlights Equal Rights on the Senate Floor
Highlights Women’s Suffrage, Equal Rights Amendment, and Fight for Equality
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Today, on the U.S. Senate floor, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) highlighted Alaskans who have paved the way for women’s suffrage and civil rights as well as the importance of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) being signed into law.
Prior to her speech on women’s suffrage and the ERA, Senator Murkowski took a moment to address what our nation has witnessed since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, including nationwide protests and calls for justice and equality. For more information, click here.
(Click here for video of Senator Murkowski’s speech.)
SPEECH EXCERPTS:
- “In Alaska, February 16th has been designated a day of observation and recognition to honor the work of Elizabeth Peratrovich, an Alaska Native woman from Southeast Alaska who was the driving force behind our first anti-discrimination law. This was back in 1945, nearly 20 years before Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.”
- “It holds true that we’ve got some pretty strong women in Alaska. We own and operate fishing vessels. We work as oil rig operators and diesel mechanics. We’ve got some extraordinary Alaska women industry leaders, leading Alaska Native Corporations and Oil companies. Leaders in education and advocates for children, seniors, and victims of domestic violence. They truly have helped not only our state, but our country.”
- “The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage is a reminder of the progress that we’ve made as a nation, but we know we have more to do—that inequities remain, whether in the work force or pay equality. So continuing that work is a matter that we have not relaxed on. And that work includes getting the Equal Rights Amendment signed into law.”
- “You cannot put a time limit on women’s equality. It’s been 100 years since women were granted the equal right of voting.”
- “Women’s equality is fundamental to the American way of life and it is far past time that it is expressly recognized in the constitution.”
BACKGROUND:
- In January, 2020, Senators Murkowski and Cardin released statements of support, applauding Virginia for becoming the 38th and final state to ratify the ERA.
- In July, 2019, Senators Murkowski and Cardin led a briefing, including a panel of bipartisan experts, outlining why Congress should remove the deadline for ratification of the ERA.
- In June, 2019, Senator Murkowski spoke on the U.S. Senate floor in honor of the 100th anniversary of Senate passage of legislation that cleared the way for state ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.
- In January, 2019, Senators Murkowski and Cardin penned a joint Op-Ed emphasizing the importance of the ERA being incorporated into the U.S. Constitution.
- In January, 2019, Senators Murkowski and Cardin introduced Senate Resolution (S. J. Res. 6) which would immediately remove the ratification deadline and revive the consideration of the ERA by the states.
