Women Hunger for Justice was a direct action protest in support of the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in Illinois in 1982. [1] The fast received significant attention in the press and included the participation of Sonia Johnson, Sister Maureen Fiedler and Zoe Nicholson. [2]
The deadline set by Congress to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment was during the summer of 1982. The amendment expired on June 30 of that year so a fast was planned by seven women's rights activists to raise attention for the need for the Illinois state legislature to pass the amendment. [3]
The fast began on May 18, 1982, [4] and lasted 37 days. [5] During the fast there was both taunting by onlookers and concern in the press for the health of the women who participated. [3] Comedian Dick Gregory came by to visit the women for three days and participated in the fast. [3] The fasters were quoted in the press as saying they were symbolic of the "suffering of women that has remained invisible." [6] Documents and images of the fast are held in the archives at Smith College and the Schlesinger Library. [7] [8]
Sr. Maureen Fiedler, a Roman Catholic nun, received a great deal of attention in the press for her participation in the fast. [2] She called the fast a "religious witness." [2]
Gloria Steinem paid for a van, known as the "Gloriamobile" to transport the women during the fast. [9]
The National Organization for Women paid for rooms for the fasters at a Ramada Inn. [9]
Sonia Johnson [1] was very sick during the fast and collapsed on two different occasions. [9] At times she was unable to walk without assistance. [3] Johnson's supporters were worried she was willing to die in support of the ERA. [3]
Eight women [10] ultimately participated in the Women Hunger for Justice fast. [4] Zoe Nicholson wrote a book about her participation in the fast titled A Hungry Heart: A Woman's Fast for Justice. [11] Women who participated in the fast included
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would, if added, explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It was written by Alice Paul and Crystal Eastman and introduced in Congress in December 1923 as a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The purpose of the ERA is to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. Opponents originally argued it would remove protections that women needed. In the 21st century, opponents argue it is no longer needed and some disapprove of its potential effects on abortion and transgender rights.
Sonia Ann Johnson, is an American feminist activist and writer. She was an outspoken supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and in the late 1970s was publicly critical of the position of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which she was a member, against the proposed amendment. She was eventually excommunicated from the church for her activities. She went on to publish several radical feminist books, ran for president in 1984, and become a popular feminist speaker.
Phyllis Stewart Schlafly was an American attorney, conservative activist, and anti-feminist who was nationally prominent in conservatism. She held paleoconservative social and political views, opposed feminism, gay rights and abortion, and successfully campaigned against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Alice Stokes Paul was an American Quaker, suffragist, feminist, and women's rights activist, and one of the foremost leaders and strategists of the campaign for the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which prohibits sex discrimination in the right to vote. Paul initiated, and along with Lucy Burns and others, strategized events such as the Woman Suffrage Procession and the Silent Sentinels, which were part of the successful campaign that resulted in the amendment's passage in August 1920.
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Maureen Fiedler, SL is an American progressive activist, radio host, and a member of the Sisters of Loretto. She has a long history working with interfaith coalitions on a variety of issues including: social justice, peace, anti-racism work, gender equality, human rights and female ordination in the Catholic Church. She holds a doctorate in Government from Georgetown University. She is the executive producer and host of the radio show Interfaith Voices, which she originated.
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Susan Catania was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1973 to 1983. She was involved in women's rights issues, and she led the unsuccessful effort to get the federal Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified by the Illinois General Assembly. Catania also served as chairperson of the Illinois Commission on the Status of Women. A representative from Chicago, she was described as a liberal, feminist, and maverick member of the Republican legislative caucus.
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Berenice Anita Carroll was an American political scientist and activist specialized in peace and conflict studies, feminist theory, and women's studies. Carroll led the creation of the women's studies program at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and served as director of the Purdue University women's studies program. She initiated the establishment of the Coordinating Committee on Women in the Historical Profession in 1969.
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The Day of Rebellion for the ERA was an event in 1982 organized by activists in support of the Equal Rights Amendment during the final struggle for ratification in Illinois.
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