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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=blue><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Calibri><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse'><tr><td bgcolor=white style='background:white;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><div align=center><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=640 bgcolor=white style='width:480.0pt;background:white;border-collapse:collapse'><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><div id=container><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" style='width:100.0%;border-collapse:collapse'><tr><td style='padding:0in 0in 7.5pt 0in'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:14.25pt'><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222'><img id="_x0000_i1025" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/demandprogress/images/demandprogress-logo-email.png"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p></td></tr></table><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Dear </span></font><font color=black><span style='color:windowtext'>Occupier</span></font>,<o:p></o:p></p><p><strong><b><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Breaking news: the Virginia legislature just passed the Equal Rights Amendment, making it the 38th state to approve it -- enough to ratify the ERA and make it part of the U.S. Constitution!<sup>1</sup> </span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>But we need Congress's help to finish the job. The House Judiciary Committee has already voted to repeal an old law that had required the ERA to be ratified by 1982.<sup>2</sup> That law may not be enforceable, but Congress should repeal it anyway. (We can't trust the Supreme Court on this one.) Can you help add public pressure to ensure the full Congress helps finally get the ERA ratified?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'><a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/go/30153?t=1&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM" target="_blank"><strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Sign the petition: Tell Congress to repeal the time limit and help the Equal Rights Amendment become part of the Constitution!</span></font></b></strong></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>After decades of activism, Congress finally passed an Equal Rights Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification in 1972. Most states quickly ratified it. But by the late 1970s, right-wing backlash had begun and ratification stalled. With 35 states having ratified it, the ERA was three states short in 1982.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Recently the ERA has been revived, thanks in part to Donald Trump reminding America of the pervasive, persistent sexism in American life. Nevada ratified the ERA in 2017, and Illinois ratified it in 2018.<strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'> Virginia's ratification brought the total to 38 states — enough to meet the Constitutional requirement of three-fourths of the states approving a constitutional amendment.</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Congress may not even be able to put a time limit on ratifying an amendment. After all, the most recent addition to the Constitution, the 27th Amendment governing Congressional pay increases, was approved in 1992 - literally two hundred years after it had first been sent to the states for ratification.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Still, conservative and anti-feminist forces will likely pick a court fight, and we can't rely on Trump's Supreme Court to do the right thing. That's why it's important for Congress to proactively repeal the 1970s-era time limit law and help ensure ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>The House Judiciary Committee's recent vote was a major step in the right direction. Now we need your help to pressure the entire Congress to act. Will you help?<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'><a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/go/30153?t=2&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM" target="_blank"><strong><b><font face=Arial><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>Add your name: Tell Congress to help ratify the Equal Rights Amendment!</span></font></b></strong></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Thank you for taking action for equal rights.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Robert and the team at Demand Progress<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p><div style='margin-top:12.0pt;margin-bottom:12.0pt'><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:14.25pt'><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222'><a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/go/2215?t=4&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM"><b><font color=white><span style='color:white;border:solid #1E3650 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:#AE0D18;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none'>DONATE</span></font></b></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div><p><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt'>Sources: <br>1. Associated Press, "Virginia Becomes Critical 38th State to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment," <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/go/30147?t=5&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM" target="_blank">January 27, 2020</a>. <br>2. Vox, "House Democrats took a big step to get the Equal Rights Amendment moving again," <a href="https://act.demandprogress.org/go/29911?t=6&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM" target="_blank">November 13, 2019</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:14.25pt'><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222'><img border=0 id="_x0000_i1026" src="https://act.demandprogress.org/o.gif?akid=26433.2477795.0_YoeM"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:14.25pt'><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222'><hr size=2 width="100%" align=center></span></font></div><p class=foot style='line-height:9.75pt'><i><font size=1 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-style:italic'>PAID FOR BY DEMAND PROGRESS (<a href="http://demandprogress.org/?t=7&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM">DemandProgress.org</a>) and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. Contributions are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Join our online community on <b><span style='font-weight:bold'><a href="https://www.facebook.com/demandprogress">Facebook</a></span></b> or <b><span style='font-weight:bold'><a href="https://twitter.com/demandprogress">Twitter</a>.</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p><p class=foot style='line-height:9.75pt'><i><font size=1 color="#222222" face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-style:italic'>You can <a href="http://act.demandprogress.org/cms/unsubscribe/unsubscribe/?t=8&akid=26433%2E2477795%2E0_YoeM">unsubscribe</a> from this list at any time.<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p></div></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal style='line-height:14.25pt'><font size=2 color="#222222" face=Arial><span lang=EN style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";color:#222222'><img border=0 width=1 height=1 id="_x0000_i1028" src="https://track.sp.actionkit.com/q/D0qMgm4YG5IxOB7XO1K71w~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRgPRMXPlcEd2F3ZEIKACoXjlpeyS-vw1IVam9obkBjeXByZXNzaG91c2UuY29tWAQAAACB"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p></div></body></html>