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The group then sprayed animal blood inside the capitol to symbolize the death of the ERA. They were ordered to pay more than $ 2,000 in cleanup fees. Mary Lee
Sargent felt the fine was unfair and said, "We are being asked to pay thousands of dollars for protesting. I would have felt fine paying the
235:
After the failure of the ERA campaign, Grassroots Group for Second Class
Citizens continued to be politically active as they advocated for a variety of feminist causes including for abortion rights. In 1982, the group undertook an action where they posed as "witches" while holding a mock trial of
141:
179:
The
Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens refused to leave the Capitol and members spent four nights in jail. Anne Casey-Elder, a member of the group was quoted as saying, "Nobody has ever occupied a capitol building like this." A photo of the women in chains appeared in
132:
who was in her late 40s. In 1982, the ERA was set to expire and both pro and anti-ERA groups descended upon the
Capitol in Illinois to lobby state legislators. Members of the Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens were often referred to as a
172:
might alienate ERA supporters, Mary Lee
Sargent...said, 'It's too late for that...we're here to step up the confrontation." Sargent noted this action had connections to the militant actions of the
594:
116:
Grassroots Group of Second Class
Citizens were especially known for their direct actions at the Illinois State House in 1982. One of the grandmothers of a founder,
305:
124:. Sargent co-founded this group while teaching at Parkland Community College in Illinois. The group included a wide range of activists from eighteen year old
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176:. She said, "It's our willingness to put our bodies out here, to be a spectacle and to be laughed at by people...but to face people directly."
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Members of the
Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens sitting in front of the office of the Speaker of the House in Illinois in 1982
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Grassroots Group of Second Class
Citizens were politically active at the same time and place when another group of women
219:. Both groups expressed solidarity for one another in the press. Fasters included longtime women's rights activists
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157:
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One of the most notable actions undertaken by
Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens was known as their
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858:
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was a political organization of feminist women created in the early 1980s to undertake non-violent
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Schoenburg, Bernie (June 29, 1982). "Pro-ERA Group Sets Final Act
Wednesday".
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legislators. In 1984, Sargent ran for a seat on the Board of Trustees for the
832:
606:
320:
315:
224:
220:
97:
243:
134:
516:"Chained ERA Supporters Stage 'Day of Rebellion' in Illinois Senate".
372:
Guy, Sandra (November 1, 1989). "Pro-Choice Group to Follow Example".
534:
Rusnak, Veronica (February 5, 1983). "The ERA War: Alive and Well".
498:"Women Chain Themselves in Front of State Senate to Lobby for ERA".
427:
Good, Sherie (November 25, 1982). "Why are these women in chains?".
140:
121:
69:
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on June 3, 1982. That day, 17 women chained themselves inside the
442:
Schoenburg, Bernie (June 27, 1982). "ERA Fasters Play Politics".
403:"Oral History Interview - ERA Fight in Illinois Mary Lee Sargent"
212:
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because they had chained themselves together inside the capitol.
710:"Collection: Papers of Mary Lee Sargent, 1982-2004 | HOLLIS for"
169:
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for the ERA in Illinois in 1982. This event was known as
195:
cleanup costs. But it did not cost $ 2,300 to clean up.
144:
A flyer promoting the Day of Rebellion in support of the
244:
Members of the Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens
111:
762:Ogintz, Eileen (August 2, 1982). "August 2, 1982".
777:"ERA Protests Planned Despite Permit Rejection".
830:
645:The U.S. Women's Movement in Global Perspective
100:tactics to raise awareness for the need of an
595:"Women End 37-Day Fast for ERA in Illinois"
474:"36 years later, Catania hopeful about ERA"
198:
151:
548:
457:"Women Sentenced to Jail in ERA Protest".
441:
739:Coordinating Council for Women in History
94:Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens
22:Grassroots Group of Second Class Citizens
642:Banaszak, Lee Ann (September 21, 2005).
641:
471:
348:Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975
202:
189:
139:
854:Civil disobedience in the United States
817:"Clock Ticks Away on ERA in Illinois".
648:. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
345:Love, Barbara J. (September 22, 2006).
240:. The group finally disbanded in 1993.
168:, "When asked if they were worried the
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864:Equal Rights Amendment organizations
564:"ERA Backers Must Pay for Cleanup".
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112:Actions at the Illinois State House
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839:American women's rights activists
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108:and lasted throughout the 1980s.
627:"ERA Fasting 7 Blasts Holiday".
351:. University of Illinois Press.
238:University of Illinois-Champaign
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662:
635:
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579:"ERA Backers Pay for Cleanup".
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104:. The group also advocated for
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714:hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu
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407:presidentlincoln.illinois.gov
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158:Day of Rebellion for the ERA
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478:The State Journal-Register
674:onlinewithzoe.typepad.com
174:women's suffrage movement
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217:Women Hunger for Justice
199:Women Hunger for Justice
152:Day of Rebellion for ERA
696:St. Louis Post-Dispatch
54:Activist group for the
797:www.maryleesargent.org
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162:Illinois State Capitol
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146:Equal Rights Amendment
102:Equal Rights Amendment
56:Equal Rights Amendment
16:Political organization
849:Nonviolence advocates
601:. February 23, 2024.
566:Hawaii Tribune-Herald
306:Catholics Act for ERA
206:
190:Spilling animal blood
143:
698:. November 2, 1983.
694:"Capitol Witches".
670:"Zoe Ann Nicholson"
500:The Macon Telegraph
164:. According to the
106:reproductive rights
60:reproductive rights
23:
793:"Mary Lee Sargent"
735:"Berenice Carroll"
583:. August 26, 1982.
568:. August 26, 1982.
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186:magazine in 1982.
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21:
859:Militant feminism
655:978-1-4616-4591-7
358:978-0-252-03189-2
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821:. June 12, 1982.
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781:. June 30, 1982.
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281:Mary Lee Sargent
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250:Berenice Carroll
130:Berenice Carroll
118:Mary Lee Sargent
86:Mary Lee Sargent
82:Berenice Carroll
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631:. May 28, 1982.
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520:. June 4, 1982.
518:The Times Argus
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502:. June 4, 1982.
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461:. July 3, 1982.
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269:Page Mellish
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66:Headquarters
18:
285:Alice Weber
272:Joyce Meyer
231:Later years
833:Categories
779:The Herald
327:References
294:Sue Yarber
135:chain gang
126:Sue Yarber
122:suffragist
77:Key people
612:April 20,
607:0190-8286
374:The Times
35:Dissolved
27:Formation
802:July 24,
744:July 24,
719:July 24,
679:July 24,
483:July 24,
412:July 24,
300:See also
120:, was a
70:Illinois
46:Feminist
51:Purpose
652:
605:
355:
213:fasted
170:sit-in
804:2022
746:2022
721:2022
681:2022
650:ISBN
614:2024
603:ISSN
485:2022
414:2022
353:ISBN
223:and
183:Life
58:and
43:Type
38:1993
30:1981
227:.
128:to
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