The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution that aims to explicitly guarantee equal rights under the law regardless of sex. While the ERA was not specifically a Black history issue, it did have significant implications for Black women in the fight for equality and civil rights.

Black women have played a crucial role in advocating for the ERA and recognizing the intersectional nature of discrimination. They understood that gender-based discrimination affected them differently than their white counterparts and that the ERA could address those disparities. Prominent figures in the Black community, such as Shirley Chisholm, Barbara Jordan, and Coretta Scott King, championed the cause of the ERA and worked to promote gender equality alongside racial equality.

The ERA has yet to be ratified as a constitutional amendment, despite efforts dating back to the 1920s. Its passage has faced opposition from conservative groups who argue that it could undermine traditional gender roles and family structures. However, the fight for the ERA continues, with activists, including many in the Black community, continuing to push for its ratification as a means to advance gender equality and combat intersecting forms of discrimination.