In episode 16 of the Equality Talks podcast, host Elisa Parker introduces us to Suzanne Lerner, president and co-founder of Michael Stars, the Michael Stars Foundation and board member of the ERA Coalition. Lerner has been fighting for sex equality for over 5o years and while the Equal Rights Amenment hasn't been published yet in our Constitution, Lerner has made it her life's mission to support equality for women and girls as a philanthropist and through her lifestlye and clothing brand. Elisa speaks with Lerner about ways the ERA would support businesses and their employees (i.e. pay equity) in addition to leading as an activist in this movement while running an equitable company where everyone can thrive, why men need to be part of this movement, how her travels around the world helped shape her passion for fashion and philanthropy, and the intergenerational cross-over needed to abolish patriarchy once and for all. Hosted by nationally acclaimed radio host and Equal Voices/ERA Coalition, Elisa Parker, Equality Talks bridges the intersections of equality, justice, and social activism to unify as a collective and change the status quo.   Equality Talks focuses on the key facets of equality across all communities, including everything from gender, racial, economic and reproductive justice, to labor, immigrant, and LGBTQ+ rights.  For more information on Equality Talks go to www.ERACoaltion.org and www.EqualVoice.org.  Moving from silos to solidarity. The ERA Coalition was founded in 2014 to bring concerted, organized action to the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The ERA Coalition has a sister organization, the Fund for Women’s Equality, which promotes public education and outreach on the need for constitutional equality. Composed of more than 290 organizations across the country representing millions of people, the Coalition is a movement of movements focused on overall equality in the United States.   While the effort to amend the constitution to include sex equality began nearly a century ago, our renewed efforts are centered on women of color (African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latina, and Native American), gender-nonconforming and transgender women and girls, and nonbinary people – those who are most impacted by systemic inequities.     www.eracoalition.org | www.fundforwomensequality.org About Suzanne: Suzanne Lerner, co-founder and president of lifestyle and clothing brand Michael Stars, is an activist entrepreneur and philanthropist. As a philanthropist, she focuses on creating economic empowerment for women and girls. She supports organizations that promote gender and racial equality in the United States and internationally through personal grants, impact investments, and the Michael Stars Foundation. Today Suzanne inspires new generations of social impact entrepreneurs and is a frequent speaker on investing, founding, and running socially conscious businesses. She serves as a director on several non-profit boards including the ACLU of Southern California and the Ms. Foundation. @suzanne_lerner  Michael Stars Foundation https://www.michaelstars.com/pages/foundation