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Women of Color and ERA

A miscalculation in tactical strategy by feminist supporters of the ERA was the virtual neglect of women of color. The National Organization of Women (NOW), which spearheaded the drive for passage of the ERA, focused its efforts on white middle class women. NOW failed to realize that minority women, particularly black women, were critical to the success of feminist movements. NOW's compromises to include black women in the movement were ineffective because they were considered inappropriate examples of tokenism.

A quote by Giddings sums up the above thesis statement: "The disarray of the Black movement and the failure of the ERA had at their base a common cause: the diminished participation of Black women" (347-348). Even today, political analysts claim that the black vote is crucial to any political campaign. During the 1970s, support from black females was critical to the passage of the ERA because of the fragmented support that the amendment had among white females.

NOW advocates were totally unprepared for the response to the ERA from a large faction of the white middle class women they targeted. This faction was led by Phyllis Schlafly: "They were women who concluded that rights won at the expense of privilege constituted a perilous trade-off" (Giddings 343). Schlafly played on the fears of these women that the ERA would lead to the erosion of family values, abortions, and the loss of alimony payments.

A significant portion of Schlafly's support stemmed from the Christian right. These evangelical women were well versed in grass roots organizing tactics based on years of church work. Consequently, Schlafly's campaigns were highly organized, and most feminists overlooked the tenacity of the ingrained religious motivation of many STOP ERA supporters (Mansbridge 176).

Failing to realize that they were focusing on the weakest link in the equal rights chain, NOW tried to win back some of its support among...

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Women of Color and ERA. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 09:53, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1681047.html