Alicia Keys spends Fourth of July claiming American women don’t have equal rights

Singer Alicia Keys marked Independence Day by arguing that American women still do not have an explicit constitutional guarantee of equal rights because an Equal Rights Amendment has not been passed.

In a video posted to Instagram during the nation’s 250th Independence Day celebration, Keys highlighted how the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has remained unratified more than a century after it was first introduced.

“Did you know that it’s been 100 years since the Equal Rights Amendment was first introduced?” Keys told her followers in the video. “And now, still, women don’t have an explicit guarantee to equal rights under the US Constitution.”

After scoffing, she continued, “Do you believe that? I couldn’t even believe that was real.”

“Let's turn outrage into authority,” she demanded. “If it’s the 250th celebration of the country, isn’t it time to update some things? What rights or guarantees do you feel all women should have in America? It’s a good question.”

Keys then promoted the “People's Bill of Rights 250” initiative, saying, “Not red, not blue, just you. Wow.” 

The People's Bill of Rights 250 campaign calls on Americans to share the rights they believe the country should guarantee under the US Constitution. The initiative is backed by the left-wing Social Impact Fund.

The ERA was first proposed in 1923 by the women's suffrage movement and proposes an amendment to the Constitution that guarantees equal legal rights to American citizens regardless of sex. Critics, however, have argued that such an amendment would be obsolete because of existing amendments, such as the 14th and the 15th, as well as civil rights laws that protect Americans from discrimination.