On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Equal Rights Amendment went into effect, two years to the day after the 38th state ratified the Amendment. Feminists spent the day celebrating this historic milestone.

“Finally, nearly 100 years after it was first proposed and 50 years after being approved by Congress, the ERA is not only ratified by required three-fourths of the states, it has completed its two-year waiting period and is taking effect,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority and activist for the ERA for more than 50 years.