WofA – We of Action – is a group and movement for change, following Indivisible principles, based in Virginia. Our group of volunteers, founded by a teacher, sends simple steps everyone can take to restore American rights, values, and civil liberties. We are also a community – your friends and neighbors, meeting near you to build positive results. Making a difference, together.
BE A PART OF THE ACTION – CLICK HERE TO JOIN WOFA
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Equal Rights Action
Kudos! The Arlington Civic Federation voted overwhelmingly on May 1 to urge the Virginia General Assembly to ratify the U.S. Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) during its 2019 session and urge the Arlington County Board to place ERA ratification on its list of legislative priorities.
The Federation’s Legislative Committee, including a WofA representative, drafted the resolutions and presented a panel discussion moderated by Col. Don Gurney of the League of Women Voters. The final vote was 44 yea – 0 nay – 3 abstain.
The Equal Rights Amendment will provide that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.”
The ERA has been ratified by 36 of 38 states required for full ratification, most recently Nevada in 2017.
Although the ERA was accompanied by a deadline for ratification, multiple legal scholars have concluded Congress has authority to extend, remove, or ignore it, and to ignore state rescissions as was done for the Fourteenth Amendment. Unlike statutes, the ERA would provide greater assurance of permanence to this country’s extension of equal rights under the law without discrimination on account of sex.
If you live in a Virginia, Illinois, Arizona or Missouri city or county that has not yet passed resolutions asking the state legislature to ratify, please contact WofA. Thank you!
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Virginia Needs Medicaid Expansion!
Medicaid Expansion was in the Virginia House budget but not the Senate’s budget. Will 400,000 Virginians have health care? Expanding Medicaid will SAVE nearly $400 million in the state budget, which can go to education, transportation, and other needs.
The budget committee will now decide. If you have a minute, please contact these state senators:
*Tommy Norment, 804-698-7503, district03@senate.virginia.gov;
*Emmett Hanger, 804-698-7524, district24@senate.virginia.gov;
*Steve Newman, 804-698-7523, district23@senate.virginia.gov;
*Frank Ruff, 804-698-7515, district15@senate.virginia.gov;
*Frank Wagner, 804-698-7507, district07@senate.virginia.gov;
*Dick Saslaw, 804-698-7535, district35@senate.virginia.gov;
*Janet Howell, 804-698-7532, district32@senate.virginia.gov
Tell their staff (or voicemail) whether you’re a constituent, your name and zip code, why you want Medicaid expansion, and remind them that it will save millions of dollars – and people’s lives.
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The Time for Gun Safety is Now
Please contact your lawmakers and tell them #EnoughIsEnough! It’s time to pass gun safety legislation. Find your lawmakers at http://www.whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov and https://whoismyrepresentative.com/
When you call, please give your name and zip code so they can verify you are a constituent.
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Your Vote Is Your Voice!
With the House of Delegates majority decided by a single vote last year, we saw the importance of fair, accurate, and transparent elections. We are committed to voting every year for peace, justice, and integrity.
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Calls to Action
Immigration
Call to help DACA Dreamers! Enter your zip code at https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members to find your U.S. Senator and Representative, then call to request a Clean DREAM Act, a restoration of deportation deferral for young immigrants without increased enforcement. Deportation would mean a new, often dangerous, country. Help them stay in the only country they know.
Redistricting
Gerrymandering subverts your votes and our democracy!
When districts are gerrymandered, politicians only speak to the partisan majority in their areas, driving us apart as a nation. To bridge the divide, we need better districts.
Call your state legislators now. Go to whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov and click their names to get their phone numbers.
Provide your name and zip so they can verify that you live in their district. Urge them to support Rip Sullivan’s bill HJ 21 (https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?181+ful+HJ21), to reduce the influence of political parties on electoral districts.
Together, we can help bring our nation back together.
