Press Release
November 8, 2019
Contact: Steve Hawkins
Oklahoma History Center, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-0754
shawkins@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/historycenter
“Until We Organize: The Struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment” Photographic Exhibit Opens at Oklahoma History Center
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma History Center announces the opening of its newest photographic exhibit, “Until We Organize: The Struggle for the Equal Rights Amendment,” featuring 23 photographs both local and national, from activists for and against the ERA. The exhibit focuses on the most tumultuous years of Oklahoma’s battle over the amendment, from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. It is currently open and will run through November 2020.
The fight for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution stating gender equality has been ongoing since the 1920s. The effort to pass the ERA heated up in the late 1970s when the ratification process made its way to individual states, including Oklahoma. The struggle to ratify the ERA failed when the deadline for passage expired in 1982, only three states short of the required 38 states needed for approval. Efforts to pass the ERA continue to this day.
The exhibit is on display in the Chesapeake Event Center and Gallery, which also is utilized for meetings and events. Patrons should call in advance to make sure the exhibit is open to the public during the time of their visit. The Oklahoma History Center is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City. For more information, please call 405-522-0765 or visit www.okhistory.org/historycenter.
The Oklahoma History Center is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, National Archives and is an accredited member of the American Alliance of Museums. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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