This past Thursday, Toni DeLancey, Virginia State Director, Kelsey Good, YWA Coordinator, and Amelia Koehn, Field Services Coordinator traveled to Richmond, Virginia to lobby key legislators to vote against the Equal Rights Amendment in the state capitol. We had a large group of men and women alike going into several offices voicing their concerns about how the ERA will not help women but rather, hurt women.
There were several groups who were fighting alongside us with grace and a God-given purpose in the state capitol including, Students for Life and the Family Foundation. Our mission was to thank legislators who voted against the ERA and to encourage others who had not yet voted to vote against it. While meeting with the legislators, we of course prayed with them. This is much appreciated by the lawmakers due to the intense backlash they and their staff have received from proponents of the ERA.
Concerned Women for America and the other like-minded organizations were able to go into the House Gallery and be introduced as faith-based organizations who oppose the Equal Rights Amendment. This was an incredible moment because proponents of the ERA and those who are indifferent were able to see the large group of men and women stand up against those who claim they are “for women” when in reality the amendment does not even mention women in the text.
After a successful morning of lobbying, Toni DeLancey was able to speak on behalf of CWA and go into further detail as to what our organization does as well as Kelsey Good who explained the importance of young women getting involved in politics and influencing policy especially on college campuses.