Zakiya Thomas, CEO and president of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality, transcends the administration required for these two powerful organizations. Her inspiration and fierce dedication to current and future efforts is driving real and meaningful change. With sex equality as a cornerstone of her focus, Zakiya leads 300+ organizations and more than 80 million people toward a brighter, more equitable tomorrow.
Focused on bringing groups together to stand in solidarity to reach common goals, Zakiya urges everyone to “have a conversation with someone without trying to change their mind. Just listen.” She notes that partisan politics, social unrest, and general strife frequently comes about because people and groups refuse to talk to each other and learn what the other knows that they are missing.
As Dr. Nancy said, “We don’t know what we don’t know.” Zakiya points out that reactions take over from communication, which leads to separation rather than solutions. She believes that the silos of social status and justice are obsolete concepts.
Zakiya’s rise into this globally significant role and her drive to influence change in the world was nurtured in her upbringing by her maternal family members who instilled in her confidence that there was no limit to what she could do or achieve.
“The world will say things about you, and they will try to tell you who you are. If you don’t have that foundation, if your love bank isn’t full from the beginning, it’s really hard to continue to bring it out into the world,” she says with gratitude, recognizing how fortunate she was to have support and positive reinforcement growing up.
That reinforcement grew into a strong belief in self and the ability to embrace her own power to fight for the benefit of others. Her work with the ERA Coalition and other organizations reflects that. For her, advocacy and activism were the only options. She could not see herself taking another career path. “If the world was going to be a better place, I had to be part of it,” she said.
Whether advocating for women’s rights, helping to elect people to make a difference in their communities, or working with families to make them stronger, Zakiya has promoted positive change in every step of her journey and has fought to fix problematic systems and right the wrongs that have desperately needed to be corrected. She points out that when it doesn’t work for you, you need to “change the system or bend it to your will.”
Through her work with the ERA Coalition, Zakiya has expanded her reach to support other groups fighting for equality. She believes that racial rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and gender rights should align with basic human rights in ways that are currently stymied by the powers that be. Leveraging her supreme dedication, extraordinary intelligence, and powerful communication and organizational skills, these are the issues that she pushes to overcome.
The adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment would symbolize solidarity in ways that transcend beyond gender equality. With help from women like Zakiya Thomas and the 80+ million others standing by her side in these various efforts, the unfair status quo that has ruled the United States for far too long would disintegrate and give way to a brighter future for all.
Zakiyah stresses that without the ERA, not everyone is protected by the Constitution. In the 1970s, it was stalled in favor of maintaining profits of insurance companies, schools and other organizations. Today the opposition is billions of dollars backing politicians who oppose it. Zakiyah says that the answer is for everyone to vote. The mid-term election showed the power of the vote. She urges everyone, “Vote for someone who has your interests at heart.”
Learn more about Zakiyah’s journey and how you can join her and the millions who stand with her to make equality a reality at www.eracoalition.org.
Listen on Red Circle | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Watch on YouTube