New York’s Equal Rights Amendment on this year’s election ballot will be explored at a panel discussion in the Williams Center on Monday, Sept. 30.
Panelists discussing what it would mean to add the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the state constitution include two SUNY Fredonia faculty – Department of English Professor Jeanette McVicker, who will address the LGBTQ community, and Department of Politics and International Affairs Associate Professor Jonathan Chausovsky, who will give a constitutional perspective – and B.J. Stasio, an advocate for people with disabilities. More panelists may be added.
The 11 a.m. panel discussion in Room S204 is free and open to students, faculty, staff and community members. Light refreshments will be furnished during the discussion, followed by a free lunch at noon. Attendees are encouraged to discuss the amendment and the 2024 election with the panelists.
We've found that most students don't know what the ERA is or that it's on the November ballot. Our panelists hope to educate students and the community about the ERA.” - Dr. Angela McGowan-Kirsch
The state legislature passed the ERA amendment twice, thus giving the public the opportunity to vote on the measure in 2024.
Why should attending the discussion be a priority?
“We've found that most students don't know what the ERA is or that it's on the November ballot. Our panelists hope to educate students and the community about the ERA,” remarked Department of Communication Associate Professor Angela McGowan-Kirsch, who also serves as chair of the campus American Democracy Project (ADP).
Proposition One, as the ERA amendment is often known by, closes loopholes in the state constitution to make sure no New Yorker can be discriminated against by the government, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, pregnancy status, disability status or whether someone is LGBTQ, according to the League of Women Voters of Chautauqua County (LWVCC), a co-sponsor of the panel discussion with the campus’ American Democracy Project.
The amendment is about preventing discrimination and also protects access to reproductive healthcare, said Mary Croxton, president of the LWVCC and a board member of the New York League of Women Voters. Dr. McVicker is also a member of the LWVCC.
Mr. Stasio is the co-vice president of the Self-Advocacy Association of New York State (SANYS) and has worked for the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) for over 20 years, focusing on person-centered planning, voting issues and self-determination training and education.
Additionally, Stasio has served on the board of the National Federation for Just Communities of Western New York, the Disability History Museum Board and has a nonprofit organization, Buffalo Racin’, focused on getting people with disabilities involved in 5K races. He is in the National Disability Mentoring Coalition Hall of Fame.
More information about the ERA amendment from the League of Women Voters of New York is available here
The League of Women Voters of New York is a nonpartisan political organization that encourages informed and active participation in government.
The goal of ADP is to educate students to become engaged in civic issues through participatory democracy and develop an appreciation for voter participation.
