Where Leaders Speak and Equality Listens: St. Paul, Minnesota

Minnesota has always understood that democracy is not a destination. It is a daily practice. And the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour’s stop at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul was proof of that understanding in action.

As the Golden Flyer II retraces the spirit of Alice Burke and Nell Richardson’s 1916 suffrage journey — including their stop in Minnesota more than a century ago — we are reminded that every generation is called to carry forward the work of expanding democracy and securing equal rights. In St. Paul, that call was answered by an extraordinary assembly of legislators, labor leaders, legal advocates, and young women who filled the Capitol steps with conviction, urgency, and hope.

Our hosts, ERA Minnesota founder Betty Folliard, co-Presidents Kate Quinlan-Laird & Suzann Willhite along with the Leage of Women Voters and other supporters, organized a multi-purpose rally just days before the state legislature adjourned — without taking the action needed to send the Minnesota ERA to voters in a referendum. The speakers who gathered that day brought exactly the kind of moral clarity and political courage this moment demands. What follows is their testimony, in their own words.

“Later this year we will gather to recognize a monumental milestone — 250 years of this nation. I want to acknowledge and honor the ancestral lands of the Indigenous people of North America who have inhabited these lands for over 30,000 years.”

“We must remember not just our achievements, but also our ongoing struggles. Our Minnesota state constitution still lacks the guarantee of equal rights for all. Despite our progress, we stand at a crossroads where equality remains an aspiration rather than a reality.”

“The ERA serves as a powerful reminder that equality is not merely a privilege. It is a right. Discrimination has no place in our laws. So I ask each of you to continue to advocate for these rights moving forward — because as the women of the past fought for us today, we must fight for future generations.” — Senator Mary Kunesh

“It means a great deal to me as a trans woman to be here standing in front of you. The ERA community has always been incredibly generous and inclusive to my community. We are building for the long-term future by putting our ERA in the Constitution. I am going to carry this bill until it is done. It is going to be done in ‘27 — in the state and in the nation.” — Representative Leigh Dawn Finke

“A hundred years ago, suffragists traveled this country demanding something that should have been a self-evident right at our nation’s founding — equality, and the right to fully participate in our democracy.”

“In the labor movement, we know all too well that a boss’s verbal promise is temporary, but a union contract secures those promises. Constitutional rights should work that way. We shouldn’t have to depend on who wins the next election, who sits on the next court, or which politicians happen to hold power at a given moment to determine whether rights and dignity are respected. Equality should never be temporary, it should never be conditional, and it should never be negotiable.” — Bernie Burnham

“We cannot take any of these rights for granted. Which is why we must do the most that we can do in Minnesota — amend our state’s highest governing document with our values. Put them in there and say: no. This is how we want to move out of authoritarianism.”

“We need pro-equality majorities. I want you all in your caucus meetings, in your town halls, asking every single candidate: will you put the Minnesota ERA first in January 2027? Let’s not just pass it in 2027 — let’s pass it first. Let’s give Minnesota voters a chance to say yes. We know they’re with us.” — Megan Peterson

“Relying on the best intentions of those in power does not and will not protect us. Constitutional protections are the strongest and most lasting safeguards of our rights.”

“The gender wage gap hasn’t narrowed over the past decade. On average, Minnesota women make 81 cents for every dollar a man makes — a loss of nearly half a million dollars over a white woman’s career. The ERA would give us one of the strongest legal tools we have to combat gender wage discrimination.”

“Our work cannot stop at Minnesota’s borders. The United States Constitution does not explicitly guarantee equal rights on the basis of sex. A federal ERA would change that — ensuring that equality is not dependent on your zip code, but a guarantee nationwide.” — Sara Gangelhoff

“I stand here on their shoulders, advocating for future generations to have the rights that I currently do not have. Laws can be easily changed or overturned by future legislatures or courts — but a constitutional amendment provides a firm and lasting foundation that ensures our rights are protected, regardless of future political shifts.”

“Today, I’m calling for the Equal Rights Amendment to be added to the Minnesota State Constitution and the United States Constitution — to guarantee that everyone has equal rights under the law.” — Avery Thompson

The remarks delivered at the Minnesota State Capitol that day reflected a growing and deepening understanding: rights must never depend on changing political winds. They must be secured in the constitution — permanently, explicitly, for every generation that follows.

As we gathered in Minnesota’s capital city, we celebrated those who came before us, honored those continuing the work today, and invited all communities to join in writing the next chapter of this story. Just as the suffragists traveled the nation’s roads more than a century ago to build support for voting rights, the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour is traveling America to build support for the Equal Rights Amendment — one conversation, one signature, one state at a time.

St. Paul reminds us that history is not something we inherit. It is something we make. Together, we can ensure that the promise of equality becomes a reality for all.