Join the Fight to Pass the ERA with the “Rethinking Sisterhood” Webinar Series
Article by Mimi Anagli
Developmentally Edited by Alexandra Hidalgo
Copy Edited and Posted by Megan Elias
Join us as activists, artists, and political leaders come together in a five part webinar series, “Rethinking Sisterhood: The Role of Media in Affirming the ERA.” Running every Thursday afternoon from May 7 to June 4, “Rethinking Sisterhood” is a collaborative effort between agnès films, Directed by Women, Equal Means Equal, Generation Ratify, Media Equity, and Women Occupy Hollywood. The series discusses the ways in which the media and citizens around the US can come together to shine a light on the significant efforts being made right now to turn the Equal Rights Amendment into the constitution’s 28th Amendment. Each hour-long webinar is hosted by the youth activist organization Generation Ratify and features guest panelists who are activists in a range of industries all fighting to get the ERA passed.
Passing the ERA will be a defining moment in American history. Women in the United States will have equal protection under the Constitution, ensuring gender equity, proper and just sexual assault investigations, equal pay, and equal opportunity. In 1977, 35 of the 38 states needed had ratified the amendment, nearly giving women the basic equalities we deserve. Now, another wave of activism has surfaced, bringing the ERA back to the government’s attention. With efforts like this open letter to media and streaming services requesting more coverage of current strides made to pass the ERA, which was signed by over 500 filmmakers, feminists, and activists, we are closer than ever to gender equality under the law. Through raising awareness and providing ideas on how to take action and join the fight, this webinar series is bringing us one step closer to that future.
Below is the webinar schedule with discussion topics and a confirmed list of speakers that we will be updating as more activists join the event.
The official art for the webinar series
Mrs. America: Cultural and Intergenerational Views
MAY 7, 2020
Speakers:
Katharine Anderson is the Minnesota Director of Generation Ratify, the youth-led movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Natalie White is a feminist, activist, artist, and vice president of Equal Means Equal.
Barbara Winslow is a Professor Emerita of Women’s and Gender Studies at Brooklyn College CUNY, and founder and Director Emerita of The Shirley Chisholm Project of Brooklyn Women’s Activism.
Belan Yeshigeta is the Associate Director of Generation Ratify, the youth-led movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Moderator: Emilia Couture, Outreach Director for Generation Ratify
Watch the webinar on YouTube.
MAY 14, 2020
Speakers:
Laura Carter Callow has been a front line advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment in Michigan since the 1970s.
Bamby Salcedo is a national and international transgender Latina Woman, and the President and CEO of the TransLatin@ Coalition.
Jennifer Hall Lee is a feminist filmmaker and writer, the director of the 2013 documentary release “Feminist: Stories from Women’s Liberation.” She serves on her local town council.
Moderator: Gabbie Gonzales, Generation Ratify New Mexico State Lead.
Watch the webinar on YouTube.
Dissecting Propaganda and Other Media Abuse
MAY 21, 2020
Speakers:
Maria Giese is the American feature film director, screenwriter, and journalist who instigated the groundbreaking industry-wide ACLU and federal investigations for women directors in Hollywood.
Shireen Mitchell is a Digital data analyst/Disinfo fighter in diversity, tech, media and politics. She is the founder of Digital Sisters/Sistas and Stop Online Violence Against Women, a project to address online threats against women.
DeeDee Halleck is a media activist and the founder of Paper Tiger Television and co-founder of the Deep Dish Satellite Network. She is Professor Emerita in the Department of Communications at the University of California, San Diego.
Watch the webinar on YouTube.
Making Inequality Visible. The Fight for ERA, and Title IX
MAY 28, 2020
Speakers:
Kamala Lopez is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker, actress and activist, and founder and president of Equal Means Equal.
Wendy Murphy is a lawyer, specializing in child abuse and interpersonal violence. She has served as adjunct professor of sexual violence law at New England Law Boston, where she also co-directs the Women’s and Children’s Advocacy Project under the Center for Law and Social Responsibility.
Senator Pat Spearman is a cleric, veteran, and Democratic politician. She became the first openly lesbian member of the Nevada Legislature.
Moderator: Emma Khodaverdian, Generation Ratify Organizing Lead.
Sign up to attend.
Approaching Filmmaking and Content Production From a Feminist Perspective to Create Change
JUNE 4, 2020
Speakers:
Rosie Couture is a 16-year-old sophomore in high school from Arlington, Virginia. She is a second-term class president, plays on her school’s drumline, advocates for gun reform as the March For Our Lives Virginia State Director, and is a co-founder and Executive Director of Generation Ratify, the youth-led movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Ariel Dougherty is an independent filmmaker and co-founder of Women Make Movies. As a teacher of community women’s media making, she has a grounding in feminist cinematic storytelling unleashed from patriarchal controls.
Alexandra Hidalgo is a Venezuelan filmmaker and theorist, who is Assistant Professor at Michigan State University and the editor-in-chief of agnès films: supporting women and feminist filmmakers.
Barbara Ann O’Leary is an activist, filmmaker, and catalyst of #DirectedbyWomen.
Moderator: Emilia Couture, Generation Ratify Outreach Director.
Sign up to attend.
You can learn more about Generation Ratify on their Website, Instagram, and Twitter and watch the webinars on their YouTube. To learn more about Mimi, visit her profile.