This is a guest post that is part of a series featuring women leaders for Black Women’s Equal Pay Day, which falls on August 7, 2018.

Council Member Margaret Chin, New York City Council’s Women’s Caucus Co-Chair.

Black women and women of color built this country. The disturbing reality that Black women make an average 63 cents to a dollar should send a clarion call to elected leaders across the nation to do whatever it takes to put an end to the structural racism that has allowed this wage gap to persist.

This year, New York City has been home to a growing women’s rights movement that recognizes the barriers that Black women have endured throughout history, and the many ways that class, gender and race intersect. In April, thanks to the tireless advocacy of everyday New Yorkers and many of my colleagues in the New York City Women’s Caucus, the City removed the statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims from East Harlem to shed light on the atrocities he conducted against innocent women of color. As Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucus, I look forward to working hand-in-hand with New Yorkers in all five boroughs to continue this dialogue, support visionary groups that fight on the frontlines for pay parity for communities of color and advance bold policies to give all women the opportunities they need to succeed and thrive.