Extending Equal Rights

Students enrolled in Molly Vianney’s AP US History class enjoyed a talk given by friend and 1988 Smith classmate S. Mona Sinha on November 12.

An advocate for gender equality in business and society, Mona is the Board Chair of the ERA Coalition Fund for Women’s Equality which seeks to codify the 28th Constitutional Amendment of equal rights on the basis of sex. She serves on several non-profits and is a financial investor in women-led businesses and mentors several hundred young people. She has a BA in Economics and Art History (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from Smith College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia University. She is a published contributor to What I Told my Daughter – Lessons from Leaders on Raising the Next Generation of Empowered Women edited by Nina Tassler and Cynthia Middleton and her story is featured in She is Me by Lori Sokol.

Mona spoke about the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) and the fight to get the US Senate to pass a law extending the ERA deadline so it becomes the 28th Amendment. Students reported, “Ms. Sinha’s talk was very interesting and directly relevant to what we’ve been discussing in class. Mrs. Vianney is a great teacher who brings real-world references to our studies. The ERA is an important issue which we were glad to spend time learning more about and Ms. Sinha’s work is not only eye-opening but impressive and inspiring. We really appreciate her taking the time to visit with our class.”