Meryl Streep sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday, urging the revival of the Equal Rights Amendment.
Streep is requesting a proposed revision to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal rights for women. The legislation, which has been in a state of flux for more than four decades, declares, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
The Oscar-winning actress is using her fame to support the cause. Streep sent a packet containing a copy of the book Equal Means Equal, by Jessica Neuwirth, leader of the ERA Coalition, to every member of Congress. In her statement, Streep wrote: “I am writing to ask you to stand up for equality — for your mother, your daughter, your sister, your wife or yourself by actively supporting the Equal Rights Amendment.”
Streep has long been passionate about the cause. Most recently, when Patricia Arquettewon the Best Supporting Actress award for Boyhood at the Academy Awards earlier this year, she used her acceptance speech to encourage equal wages for men and women. The camera then panned to Streep, who was the first celebrity in the audience to give Arquette a standing ovation.
Streep will soon star in the movie ‘Suffragette,’ which tells the true story of Emmeline Pankhurst, a British political activist who helped women win the right to vote.
Women helping women!!!
“Suffragette” is due out in October:
