FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | October 13, 2020
On the Issues with Michele Goodwin is a new issues- and policy-focused podcast featuring feminist analysis, insightful conversations and exciting guests. This is the first podcast from Ms. magazine, a legacy feminist publication.
In each bi-weekly episode, host Dr. Michele Goodwin and special guests will tackle the most compelling issues of our times, centering feminist concerns about rebuilding our nation and advancing the promise of equality.
A new episode—Equality is on the Ballot—is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and MsMagazine.com.
On January 15, 2020, Virginia became the critical 38th and final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment—a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that reads: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Yet, the ERA has not been added to the Constitution.
Virginia’s ratification raised important questions about the viability of an amendment that had been stymied for decades—and made clear just how much the ERA is still needed. This week, Dr. Goodwin and her guests ask: what promise does the ERA hold in the continued battle for equality and freedom? And why are the coming elections so critical?
Dr. Goodwin is joined by Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy of Virginia; Ellie Smeal, the co-founder and president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and former president of the National Organization for Women; Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton of Illinois; and Dr. Julie Suk, a visiting professor of law at Yale Law School and professor of sociology, political science and liberal studies at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
Their conversation covered a wide range of topics; you can find a full transcript here, as well as a few excerpts below:
“Our liberation is tied to each other, and if there’s only one group of women that are free, then none of us are free. We all have to continue this fight for justice, equity and opportunity, and we have to do it together.” —Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton of Illinois
“If I can’t change your mind about women’s equality, I promise you this: I will change your seat. And with the help of all of these organizations, we were actually able to get that done.” —Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy of Virginia
“We’ve gotten the Equal Rights Amendment through Congress, and we’ve gotten it through 38 states. This thing should be enshrined in the Constitution right now.” —Ellie Smeal, co-founder & president of the Feminist Majority Foundation
“Completing the ERA—an amazing transgenerational project made by women—will open up a conversation and a possibility, so that we can all think of ourselves as Constitution-makers and framers, and feel that we are included in a Constitution that was made not only by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison… but also by Jennifer Carroll Foy and Pat Spearman and Juliana Stratton and Pauli Murray.” —Dr. Julie Suk, visiting professor of law at Yale Law School and professor of sociology, political science and liberal studies at The Graduate Center of CUNY
Meet the Host of On the Issues: Dr. Michele Goodwin is a frequent contributor to Ms. magazine and on MsMagazine.com. She is a Chancellor’s Professor at the University of California, Irvine and also serves on the executive committee and national board of the ACLU. Dr. Goodwin is a prolific author and an elected member of the American Law Institute, as well as an elected Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the Hastings Center. Her most recent book, Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and The Criminalization of Motherhood, is described as a “must read.”
About Ms. Magazine: Co-founded by Gloria Steinem in 1972 and published by the Feminist Majority Foundation since 2001, Ms. magazine has been a trusted, popular source for feminist news and information in print and online for nearly 50 years. Ms.’s time-honored traditions of an emphasis on in-depth investigative reporting and feminist political analysis have never been more relevant, bringing a new generation of writers and readers together to create the feminism of the future.
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If you would like more information on the On the Issues with Michele Goodwin podcast, or to schedule an interview with Host Michele Goodwin or Executive Producer & Ms. Executive Editor Katherine Spillar, please email Maddy Pontz at press@msmagazine.com.
Launched in 1971, Ms. is the most trusted, popular source for feminist news and information in print and online with a tradition of in-depth investigative reporting and feminist political analysis. Ms. is wholly owned and published by the Feminist Majority Foundation.
