Author: Ally Dickson

Ally Dickson is an editorial intern at Ms. and a rising senior at New York University, majoring in international relations and journalism. Last summer she wrote for Bay City News, completing a capstone on how nursing students, professors and nurse practitioners are fighting for abortion training in California. Check out more of her work on LinkedIn.

The Pathway to Recognizing the Equal Rights Amendment

At the Radical Optimism Conference on Jan. 26, hosted by former U.S. Rep Carolyn Maloney, political activists from around the state rallied for recognition of the federal ERA, made plans for securing a New York state constitutional amendment, plotted strategies for the 2024 elections and committed themselves to showing strong support by recruiting signers for the national ERA petition, Sign4ERA.org.

“In 2024, women’s rights will be on the ballot,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority.

“If equality and the Equal Rights Amendment, in particular, weren’t so important, they wouldn’t be fighting so hard to keep it from us,” said Zakiya Thomas, president of the ERA Coalition.

(This essay is part of “The ERA Is Essential to Democracy” Women & Democracy collection.)

Indictments Seek to Hold Trump Accountable for Threatening U.S. Democracy and National Security

As soon as next month, a grand jury out of Georgia will be tasked to consider charges against former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies for trying to overturn the 2020 election. Already, the Department of Justice has indicted former President Trump with 37 felony counts related to the mishandling of classified documents, obstructing justice, making false statements and conspiring.

“The worst thing you can do for a democracy is just let it slide when people try to do a coup and undermine democracy. That is how democracy dies. It is worth pursuing the fight to keep people accountable under the laws for undermining our democracy,” said Leah Litman, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, on a recent episode of Ms.’ On the Issues With Michele Goodwin podcast.