ERA passage rally   Save
Columbus Free Press Collection Audiovisual Series
Description: Women gather during a rally in support of the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) on the steps of the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, June 30, 1981. The ERA is a proposed constitutional amendment establishing equal legal rights for American citizens regardless of sex, first introduced in Congress in December 1923. A ratification deadline for the amendment passed in 1979, but was extended to 1983. It has regularly been reintroduced to Congress but is still awaiting full ratification by three-fourths of U.S. states. This photograph was taken by Leslie Zak for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B04F11_03
Subjects: Civil rights; Equal Rights Amendment (ERA); Protests and protestors; Ohio women; Social issues; Women's rights; Legislation;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)