ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota's National Organization for Women and other supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment are using strategically placed billboards to launch an awareness campaign, aimed at getting ERA legislation passed by state lawmakers.

An Equal Rights Amendment to the Minnesota Constitution has been introduced in every legislative session since 1983, but never voted on by either the full House or Senate. Kathleen Murphy, co-founder of the ERA Minnesota Coalition, said the billboard locations were chosen in districts where there was resistance from state GOP leaders to act on the issue in the recent legislative session.

"The basic Equal Rights Amendment was never adopted at the federal level, and again, here in Minnesota we never put it in at the state level,” Murphy said. “So, there are certain ramifications that come from having it, and the biggest one is fairness in the courts."

Last month, Illinois lawmakers voted to ratify the ERA, making the legislation just one state away from potentially being added to the U.S. Constitution. That vote came 36 years after the original deadline for ratification set by Congress.

Originally introduced in 1921 and re-introduced in 1971, the E-R-A was overwhelmingly approved by Congress, which set a 1982 deadline for ratification by three-quarters of the states. It was passed in 35 states, but 38 were needed.

Many opponents of lawmakers' actions in Illinois said approval of the amendment was mostly symbolic. But supporters like Murphy say it's more important than ever for the government to state clearly that women and men have equal rights under the law.

"The whole issue of sex discrimination does not rise to the same strict scrutiny level that other forms of discrimination do,” Murphy said. “So, until we get it constitutionally protected, court cases can kind of vary in their response."

Advocates of ERA passage say the election of President Donald Trump and the defeat of Hillary Clinton, along with the #MeToo movement, has breathed new life into the potential amendment. Until an affirmative vote by Nevada lawmakers in 2017, no U.S. state had voted to ratify the ERA in 40 years.


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Women, and particularly Black women, are disproportionately affected by strokes and other health conditions in Missouri.

Keetra Thompson, a stroke survivor, acknowledged the disproportionate effects of heart disease, stroke and diabetes on Black women in the state, attributing it to factors such as poverty, access to healthy food options and lack of resources in certain neighborhoods.

"We have a Walmart and maybe a Schnucks but then everything else is all fast food," Thompson explained. "If I wanted to go to Whole Foods, I'd have to drive 40 minutes. If you don't have access to a car and you can't pay for transportation, you can't even get healthy food. The local grocery stores are so expensive, it's just unattainable."

Keetra expressed a need to advocate for better food choices and resources in underserved communities and reminding Missourians to stay active and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The American Heart Association said calling 911 for stroke symptoms is crucial, since the closest hospital may not be the most suitable for stroke treatment and paramedics are trained to do what is best.

Peter Panagos, professor of emergency medicine and neurology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, emphasized the Time Critical Diagnosis system ensures -- regardless of where you seek treatment, even at a small community hospital -- it is connected to larger hospitals. If a stroke is suspected and local care is inadequate, the smaller hospitals can recognize the symptoms, conduct early diagnostic testing and, through prearranged agreements and communication pathways with other hospitals, arrange timely transport. The system ensures everyone in Missouri receives equally outstanding care statewide.

"We've done a lot of work in the state of Missouri through the Department of Health and other constituent organizations to help to improve the level of stroke care no matter where you live," Panagos pointed out.

Panagos stressed about 55,000 women, more than men, will have a stroke each year based on the numbers, and stroke is the number three cause of death in women in the United States. He added among women, Black women have the highest prevalence of stroke but being armed with knowledge about prevention can help with healthier outcomes.


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Students and faculty at Northeastern University are demanding their school issue a public apology for what they say are false charges of antisemitism during recent protests.

School administrators cited the slurs as justification for police to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment and make arrests.

Grace Sanford, a second-year student, said it was a counterprotester who made the remarks to provoke a confrontation.

"When those remarks were said by counterprotesters, they were booed by all the individuals taking part in the encampment," Sanford recounted.

Sanford stated the encampment was a space for teach-ins and art making, in which Jewish student groups also took part. Faculty members said the school needs to "correct the record," arguing false claims of antisemitism only heighten the dangers for Jews by distracting from real threats.

More than 2,000 people have been arrested at more than 50 college campuses over the past few weeks as students demand their schools divest from Israeli companies and others profiting from the war in Gaza.

Sanford contended college students have long been on the right side of history when it comes to human rights and students will keep up the effort.

"We're transitioning to be the leaders of all of these different institutions and corporations and governments," Sanford pointed out. "I think we're voicing what we want this world to look like."

Sanford emphasized students and faculty are asking school administration to drop the charges against the nearly 100 protesters arrested at Northeastern, a move announced by Emerson University administrators to their school body last week.


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Oregon advocates are shining a spotlight on hunger and related issues ahead of the fall elections.

A recent report from the Immigrant Research Initiative found immigrants constitute 10% of Oregon's population but contribute to 13%, or more than $33 billion, of the state's economic output.

The "Food for All Oregonians" policy aims to extend SNAP benefits to 60,000 Oregonians ineligible because of immigration status.

Karen Caudillo Roman, metro organizing manager for the Oregon Food Bank, stressed addressing hunger transcends mere food provision. She highlighted among those most affected by hunger in her community are single mothers, caretakers, as well as individuals from Black, brown and Indigenous backgrounds.

"These are folks that would already qualify for a lot of the safety net programs that we have in place," Caudillo Roman noted. "But just because of where they were born, they're left out."

She urged Gov. Tina Kotek to prioritize the Food for All Oregonians policy in the next legislative session, arguing access to food is a human right and no one should be denied based on their place of birth.

Reyna Lopez, executive director of Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste, an Oregon farmworkers union, emphasized the importance of amplifying the community's voice amid what she describes as "hateful rhetoric against immigrants during elections," and ongoing exploitation in the workplace.

"We're part of this community," Lopez emphasized. "We're going to continue to do the work that is essential and continue to bring some of those urgent needs that all Oregonians are facing."

Lopez added her group along with many advocates are focused on five specific issues for the upcoming election, which include housing for all, a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented workers, fully funded public schools, union rights for every worker and a ceasefire in Gaza.