24Words
Steppenwolf LookOut Series

Vibrant, funny and inspirational – 24Words is a non-stop, 100-minute odyssey for equality, starting with the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence (when men declared “all men are created equal”) to the historic events of March 22, 1972 – when women were almost equal, pot was almost legal and contraceptives could be sold to “unmarried people.”

"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." 

Book and Lyrics: Charles Kouri
Music: Gary Bragg
Additional Songs: Dean Schlabowske
Director: Margaret Baughman
Assistant Director: Lavina Jadhwani
Music Director: Adam LaSalle
Choreographers: Elisa Carlson & Shanae Sterba
Featuring: Taylor Anapol, Dana Anderson, Elisa Carlson, Luis David Cortes, Jordan Golding, Khloe Janel, Adam LaSalle, Kenyai O’Neal, Noreen Patel, Janelle Villas, & Missy Wise

February 28 - March 21, 2017 @ Stage 773
March 22, 2017 @ Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre 

RATIFY THE ERA

24WORDS refers to the Equal Rights Amendment.
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
+Introduced in 1923
+Passed by Congress on March 22, 1972
+Ratified by 35 states – 3 states short of the requirement

Illinois is one of the states that never ratified the ERA!
Although the ERA was introduced in every Congressional session between 1923 and 1970, it almost never reached the floor of either the Senate or the House for a vote. It usually languished and stalled in committee. Finally in 1972, it passed both houses of Congress and went to the state legislatures for ratification.

Through 1977, the amendment acquired 35 of the required 38 states necessary for ratification. In 1978, a joint resolution of Congress extended the ratification deadline to June 30, 1982. However, no further states ratified the amendment before the second deadline expired, leaving it just three states short to enshrine the ERA in the Constitution.

Several organizations dispute the validity and the permanence of the ratification deadline and continue to work at the federal and state levels for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.