Time to make full equality for women a reality in U.S.

Leading up to the early 1970s, women (and some men) fought for the “radical idea” that women and men should be equal under the Constitution — “that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Years of activism in favor of full equality culminated with the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the U.S. House of Representatives on Oct.12, 1971, and in the Senate on March 22, 1972.

I vividly remember this time because I was just starting to get involved in politics. At the time, I felt hopeful. It seemed like our country was starting to change its views about women.

Just days after Congress passed the ERA, I was in Austin when Texas became the eighth state to pass it. I thought we were on the verge of real change in America. History would prove me wrong.

By 1977, 35 states had ratified the ERA in state legislatures across the country. During this time, however, we also saw four states rescind those ratifications and advocates were increasingly worried that we would not meet the 1979 deadline for ratification of the ERA. These concerns became a reality and America did not codify equality for women in our Constitution.

It turned out that change is not as easy if you are a woman in America. Throughout my life and career, despite women consistently fighting for their rights, we have not seen women achieve full equality. This is even more true if you are an African American or Latina woman.

In the late 1980s, by the time I became presiding judge of the Houston municipal courts, it seemed that full equality for women was no longer a priority in our national dialogue. Our country was more interested in maintaining the status quo than helping women achieve full equality.

In 2002, I became the first Hispanic and the first woman elected in her own right to the Harris County Commissioners Court. Even then, we were still talking about equal pay for equal work and fighting to recognize men and women as equal. African American and Latina women were still making significantly less than white, non-Hispanic men.

Fast forward to 2019, as we mark Latina Equal Pay Day, there is now a newfound jolt of energy in the march toward full equality for women that has reverberated across the country.

As a country, we have seen women stand up against the rape culture that has made them the target of sexual assault.

As a country, we have seen women fight for their right to choose and push back against men who want to control our bodies.

As a country, we have seen women raise their voices against the gender pay gap that allows African American women to make 63 cents and Latinas to make 54 cents for every dollar earned by a white, non-Hispanic man.

As a country, we have seen women run for office and break glass ceilings at every level of government, such as when I became one of the first two Latinas ever elected to Congress from Texas.

And most recently, we have seen a renewed call for the ratification of the ERA, the unfinished work of the women’s liberation movement and a response to the sexism that has come to define the Trump administration.

The United States has a long way to go if we are to achieve full equality for women. My hope is that every little girl in this country will one day live in an America that embraces their full humanity and guarantees full equality to them.

We can achieve this by ensuring all women, and especially African American and Latina women, are no longer paid less than men. We can achieve this by reauthorizing the Violence Against Women’s Act that protects women from domestic violence and sexual assault. We can achieve this by supporting Virginia in becoming the 38th state to ratify the ERA and lifting the 7-year ratification deadline, which will pave the way for the United States to finally live up to its values of equality and justice for all.

This is about the more than 1.16 million women and girls that live in Houston. This is about the more than 166.2 million women and girls across the country. We have the power to guarantee full equality under the Constitution for every woman and little girl in America. The question is, will the United States embrace equality for women or leave it up to the next generation?

I’m hopeful we will live up to our ideals as Americans by choosing equality.