Lilly Ledbetter’s epic fight for equal pay is one of the great American stories.
After 19 years serving as a supervisor in an Alabama tire factory, Lilly Ledbetter discovered through an anonymous note that the system had been cheating her, paying her thousands less per year than the men with the same jobs were earning. Lilly filed a sex discrimination lawsuit in Alabama federal court and won, but the decision was reversed on appeal. Lilly took her fight against injustice all the way to the Supreme Court, and when they ruled against her, her activism continued to the corridors of Congress and eventually The White House.
Lilly transformed from an ordinary worker to a face of the Equal Pay movement. Her activism achieved the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, which ensured that employees can challenge the discriminatory paychecks they receive, regardless of how much time has passed since the discrimination occurred.
Her tenacity, refusal to submit to inequity, and strong persistent advocacy are lessons for us today as we struggle against new and continuing threats to women’s economic security and autonomy.
After Lilly’s passing last year, PowHer®NY honors her legacy by continuing the effort to pass new equal pay laws. We are fighting to strengthen NY’s salary range laws and require pay data reporting from large employers. These laws will increase transparency and accountability which will boost New York’s efforts to end wage discrimination against women, especially women of color.
On April 10th, PowHer® New York and Women Creating Change hosted an inspiring evening of storytelling, advocacy, and action, honoring the legacy of equal pay champion Lilly Ledbetter.
Rachel Feldman, Director and Producer of the new film “Lilly”, had a conversation about creating the film on Lilly Ledbetter’s life with Sharon Sewell-Fairman of Women Creating Change. Watch the interview here:
Pay equity experts Seher Khawaja of Legal Momentum, Dr. Kangela C. Moore, and Beverly Cooper Neufeld of PowHer New York had an informative fireside chat that explored how New York is pushing forward for Equal Pay.
Thank you to our speakers, and to everyone who joined us to honor Lilly’s Legacy and take action for pay equity in New York!
Make sure you go see “Lilly” in theaters May 9th!