Artist Natalie White was present in the Virginia legislature on January 15 when both houses voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, providing the 38th state needed to meet the threshold set by Congress in 1972. White has been a dedicated advocate for the ERA since 2015, organizing a 250-mile march from New York to Washington in 2016, painting "ERA NOW" on the Capitol steps, and staging civil disobedience performances at the state capitol. She has also helped file a lawsuit against U.S. Archivist David S. Ferriero to compel official recording of Virginia's ratification, arguing that the original congressional deadline is unconstitutional.
This matters because White's activism exemplifies how contemporary artists can directly engage in political and legal battles to advance constitutional change. Her lawsuit challenges the legal standing of the ratification deadline, potentially setting a precedent for how amendments are certified. The ratification in Virginia, though a major step, faces opposition from attorneys general in three states seeking to block recognition, and White expresses frustration that the news cycle has been dominated by impeachment proceedings rather than this historic development for gender equality.