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election 2019
Democratic Victory in Virginia Paves Way for Final Approval of Equal Rights Amendment
"When people tell you that their vote doesn't matter point them to Virginia and the possibility of finally ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment. Elections have consequences."
Nov 07, 2019
House Democrats wasted no time Friday preparing to allow for the Equal Rights Amendment to enter into force, just three days after Democrats won control of Virginia's legislature--making it likely that the commonwealth will soon become the 38th state to ratify the amendment.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, announced Friday the committee will mark up a bill next week that would do away with the 1982 deadline for states to ratify the amendment, often called the ERA.
"After decades of work by tireless advocates, it is time for Congress to act and clear the way for Virginia, or any other state, to finally ratify the ERA and for discrimination on the basis of sex to be forever barred by the Constitution," Nadler said in a statement.
A deadline of 1979 was originally set in 1972 when Congress passed the ERA, but advocates were unable to convince the 38 states needed to ratify the amendment to adopt it by then; only 35 states had adopted it by 1982, the second deadline that was set.
It wasn't until 2018 that Illinois became the 37th state to approve the ERA, following Nevada, which ratified it the previous year. The two states were the first to approve the amendment after the passing of the deadline.
Soon after Democrats in Virginia won control on Tuesday of both the state Senate and House of Delegates, pro-ERA advocates in the state and across the country celebrated the likely approval of the law.
\u201cYesterday, Virginia chose equality\u201d— VoteEqualityUS (formerly VAratifyERA) (@VoteEqualityUS (formerly VAratifyERA)) 1573044007
\u201cThis. If VA ratifies the ERA, the House can lift the deadline. Then it's on the Senate. McConnell could ignore it, but it's one thing to ignore a House-passed bill - it'll be several orders of magnitude different to stand in the way of the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.\u201d— Adam Jentleson (@Adam Jentleson) 1573006660
\u201cWhen people tell you that their vote doesn't matter point them to Virginia and the possibility of finally ratifying the #EqualRightsAmendment. Elections have consequences. #ERANow https://t.co/vfDQdThveP\u201d— Dwight Evans (@Dwight Evans) 1573222551
\u201cThe results of the VA elections have prompted House Dems to make the passage of the ERA a top priority. Watching this momentum build over the past few days has us ready for ratification! https://t.co/MKn7sS9bGm\u201d— Feminist Majority (@Feminist Majority) 1573226878
"We will be bringing [the ERA] back, and yes, we do have the votes to pass it," Virginia state Rep. Eileen Filler-Corn toldThe Atlantic Friday.
The law would enshrine in the U.S. Constitution a ban on discrimination on the basis of sex. Although the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits workplace discrimination, it only applies to companies with 15 or more employees.
As the advocacy group VA Ratify ERA wrote on Twitter, the Constitutional amendment would strengthen domestic violence laws, pregnancy discrimination protections, and push companies to adopt parental leave policies for men as well as women.
\u201cFor women, the ERA would bolster\n\u2705 pay equity,\n\u2705 domestic violence laws,\n\u2705 pregnancy discrimination protections.\nIt could also affect men..\n\u2705 guaranteeing paid paternity leave equal to maternity leave.\n\n#VAratifyERA @MaggieAstor\nhttps://t.co/fVe24JIwlK\u201d— VoteEqualityUS (formerly VAratifyERA) (@VoteEqualityUS (formerly VAratifyERA)) 1573135509
VA Ratify ERA reported that a desire to see the ERA ratified was one of the top three motivators that sent Virginia voters to the polls on Tuesday.
"This is a pivotal moment in our nation's history and in the fight for equality. It's a moment that will be recorded in the history books as a time when Chairman Nadler and our colleagues on the committee worked to protect and advance the rights of more than half of the citizenry and voted for women and girls to finally see themselves in our Constitution," said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), co-chair of the Democratic Women's Caucus.
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After Racist Attacks, Former Refugee Makes History as First Somali-American Elected to City Council in Lewiston, Maine
"You might smear us. You might hurl racist attacks at us. But we will always rise up to serve our communities."
Nov 05, 2019
After a campaign marred by racist attacks, the victory Tuesday of a Somali-American woman who won a city council seat in Lewiston, Maine garnered national attention for the winner.
Safiya Khalid, who came to the U.S. in 2006 as a refugee, became the first Somali-American to be elected to city council in Lewiston, a city with a long history of racism against its immigrant community.
Khalid told supporters and the press on Wednesday that her victory was the result of a commitment to connecting with voters--even as online trolls were harassing her with comments saying, as the Washington Postreported, "that Muslims had no place in American government and she should go back to where she came from."
"Community organizers beat internet trolls," Khalid told supporters after results came in Tuesday night.
The 23-year-old is also the youngest person to ever be elected to the city council. She told reporters that she was inspired to run for office after seeing the city grow more racially and ethnically diverse while the government remained homogenous.
"Lewiston needs change, it deserves change, and I think we need a lot of perspectives on the city council," Khalid told Reuters. "The local government needs to be reflective of the community."
\u201c\u2018Lewiston needs change\u2019: Safiya Khalid becomes the first Somali-American to be elected to city council in one of Maine\u2019s largest cities\u201d— Reuters (@Reuters) 1573071600
In addition to ensuring that the city's sizable immigrant population's voices are represented, Khalid aims to secure a $30 million federal housing grant; force code officials to regularly inspect every rental unit to make sure they meet lead and other safety standards; and push for low- or no-interest loans for homeowners.
Khalid's victory earned praise from national politicians including Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), the first Somali-American to serve in Congress.
"You might smear us. You might hurl racist attacks at us," Omar tweeted. "But we will always rise up to serve our communities."
\u201cYou might smear us. You might hurl racist attacks at us. But we will always rise up to serve our communities.\n\nCongratulations, Safiya! \ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffd\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1573069371
\u201cHaters gonna hate but they are no match for resilience and hard work. Congratulations Safiya Khalid on your historic victory! Lewiston will be well served by your leadership. #mepolitics\nhttps://t.co/a75Wj9WISC\u201d— Congresswoman Chellie Pingree \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@Congresswoman Chellie Pingree \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1573051766
\u201cSafiya Khalid didn\u2019t just become the first Somali person to win a seat on the Lewiston, Maine City Council, she became the youngest person ever to get elected to that body.\n\nCongratulations, @Safiya_S_Khalid! \n\nYou\u2019re an inspiration.\nhttps://t.co/aualcxyRHp\u201d— Juli\u00e1n Castro (@Juli\u00e1n Castro) 1573052824
Tuesday's result comes amid heightened anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. that's been encouraged by President Donald Trump and his policies, including the so-called Muslim ban under which travelers from Somalia and other countries are currently barred from entering the United States.
In recent decades, refugees and immigrants in Lewiston have faced attacks by white supremacists; a former mayor who wrote an open letter to Somali-Americans saying the city was "maxed-out financially, physically, and emotionally" and unable to welcome them; and local Republican politicians.
The progressive group Run for Something, which endorsed Khalid, called her win after facing "overwhelming odds" a potential "inspiration" for others who may consider running for public office.
\u201cLet @Safiya_S_Khalid's win last night serve as inspiration to run for something. Despite overwhelming odds, Safiya won her race for Lewiston City Council becoming the first Somali-American to hold the position.\n\nhttps://t.co/L28lkQBtNG\u201d— Run for Something (@Run for Something) 1573068600
"No election is too small," tweeted Ashley Allison of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. "ALL elections matter and have the potential to shape how we become a more inclusive nation."
\u201cNo election is too small. ALL elections matter and have the potential to shape how we become a more inclusive nation.\n\nToday, Lewiston, Maine elected the first Somali American to its city council. Congratulations to Safiya Khalid!\n\n#ElectionNight\u201d— Ashley Allison (@Ashley Allison) 1573014997
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'Sweet Justice': Juli Briskman, Who Lost Her Job After Flipping Off Trump, Unseats GOP Incumbent on County Board
"She flipped off the president, got fired, and now got elected."
Nov 05, 2019
On Tuesday, two years after she was fired over a viral photo of her giving President Donald Trump's motorcade the middle finger in Sterling, Virginia, Juli Briskman was elected to the state's Loudoun County Board of Supervisors in her first foray into electoral politics.
The first-time candidate unseated eight-year Republican incumbent Suzanne Volpe by a vote of 5586-4721.
"It's feeling fantastic, it's feeling surreal," Briskman toldThe Washington Post Tuesday night. "The last two years have been quite a ride."
A photo of Briskman, on her bicycle, flipping off the president's motorcade as it left Trump's golf course in Sterling went viral in Ocotober 2017. Briskman said in an interview in 2018 that she was incensed by Trump's ending of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and his reaction to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
Shortly thereafter, Briskman lost her job as a marketing executive at government contracting service company Akima LLC.
Briskman said in September 2018 that the experience of losing her job for political expression spurred her run for office and dismissed the idea that the office of the president is inherently worthy of respect.
"I've gotten some feedback that folks say you should respect the president. Even if you don't like what they're doing, you shouldn't show this sort of disdain," said Briskman. "And I simply disagree, and I think the Constitution grants me that privilege."
"She flipped off the president, got fired, and now got elected," tweeted law professor Jennifer Taub. "Sweet."
The board acts as an administrative body for county government and includes in its oversight the Trump National Golf Club Washington D.C., which is located in Potomac Falls, Virginia.
That coincidence wasn't lost on Briskman.
"Isn't that sweet justice?" she said to The Washington Post.
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