lune 12. 2013
giordani» (Observer
Page 9
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Still Waiting for Equal Pay Act’s Promise
50 years later gender
gap still exists
by L isa M aatz
June 10 m arked the 50th anniversary of
the federal legislation that required em ­
ployers to give women and men equal pay
for equal work. Newsflash: It’s not w ork­
ing. This golden anniversary is m ore call
for action than cause for celebration be­
cause women are still w aiting for the Equal
Pay A ct’s prom ise to com e true.
But d o n 't think w e ’re w aiting p a ­
tiently— or silently. And d o n ’t think you
are imm une from this pernicious problem .
The gender pay gap exists for women in all
50 states and the District of Columbia.
It exists regardless of w hether states
have pay equity laws in place that supple­
ment the Equal Pay Act, although several
states do not have any specific pay equity
law whatsoever. U nbelievably, W iscon­
sin actually just repealed its equal pay law.
And the pay gap exists in states where
governors are doing excellent work on
equal pay: Gov. Peter Shum lin in Vermont
recently signed stronger equal pay legis­
lation into law, and Gov. Neil Abercrombie
of Hawaii and Gov. M ark Dayton o f M in­
nesota issued Equal Pay Day proclam a­
tions this year.
But until the pay gap goes the way of
the dodo bird, every state has more to do.
That means your governor owes women
and fam ilies an Equal Pay Act anniversary
“present.” And the Am erican Association
of U niversity W omen has the perfect idea
for a gift.
President Barack Obama recently ordered
federal agencies to develop plans to address
pay discrepancies among employees in the
federal workforce, including evaluating poli­
cies for setting starting salaries and looking
at how to promote greater transparency in
starting salaries. Your governor could— and
should— order state agencies to evaluate
and take action on their pay practices as well.
Your governor should do this because
equal pay is everyone’s business. Families
and communities are economically stronger
when there is fair pay. Every day women
nationwide work just as hard only to receive
less. On average, women make 77 cents to a
man s dollar, and that number is much worse
for moms and women of color. The gender
pay gap starts right after college and com­
pounds over a woman’s career. Even after
accounting for all the factors that affect earn­
ings, AAUW found that women just one
year out of college are still paid almost 7
percent less than their male counterparts are
paid. That’s nearly a year’s worth of grocer­
ies and 1,400 tall Starbucks coffees. Plus,
women vote— and we deserve serious ac­
tion on the issues we care about.
Statistics tell us that every action avail­
able needs to be taken, and the Obama admin­
istration has provided a step that governors
can take immediately. I ’ 11 leave it up to you as
to how you ask your governor for your
“present” — Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, let­
ter. B ut no matter how you decide to do it, I’ 11
guarantee you one thing. Unlike the Equal
Pay Act, the technology you’ll use— even if
it’s just a pen and paper— was updated in the
last 50 years.
Technology has changed. The workforce
has changed. But the federal legislation de­
signed to ensure women are paid equally to
men hasn’t changed— and it isn’t working.
Someday, women will celebrate the Equal
Pay Act anniversary. But we’ll do so when
we get what we were promised: equal pay for
equal work.
Lisa Maatz is the vice president o f gov­
ernment relations at the American Associa­
tion o f University Women.
Modern Day Drum Major
We must refresh our
hearts and minds
by R ev . J oseph L owery
On April 9,1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
preached a message that was strikingly ap­
plicable to the lives of modem day civil rights
leaders and leaders of America's future.
In the pulpit of the Ebenezer Baptist Church
in Atlanta only five days before he was
assassinated. Dr. King meticulously outlined
the anatomy of what he called, the "drum
major instinct".
In that message, he drew from the book of
Mark, Chapter 10, starting with Verse 13
where Jesus’ disciples, James and John, asked
to be placed on the Lord's right side and on
his left side in glory. Jesus gave them an
answer that resonates today as I contem­
plate the current state of equality and justice
in America and the necessary anatomy of
today's drum major.
The Lord told them that their placement in
glory was not his to give. Rather their place­
ment in glory - and anyone else's - would be
contingent upon how they served here on
earth. Specifically, Dr. King quoted the pas­
sage as saying, "But whosoever o f you will
be the chiefest, shall be servant of all."
Dr. King then described how some in
leadership positions mistakenly think that
they should be sat on high, receive expen-
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sive houses, cars, and receive exclusive ac­
cess simply because of their positions. But,
now, just as Dr. King pointed out then, the
anatomy of the drum major - the leader that
sets the tempo for justice and equality in
America - must be the soul that is willing to
humbly serve.
As then, the drum major instinct has been
perverted and must now be corrected in order
for us to reach our righteous goals. In other
words, as we look at the current state of
equality and justice in America, we must
refresh our hearts and minds, as Dr. King
said, with "a new definition of greatness".
What he was saying is that it is not wrong
to desire to be important, to want quality
things and access. But those things are not
equivalent to greatness. Greatness must be
earned, he said. And that new definition is
simple - service.
As much work as has been done and as
much progress as has been made, there is
much work needed as racial disparities in this
nation are still horrendous.
In a nutshell: African-Americans are in­
carcerated at nearly six times the rate of
whites, according to the NAACP. Yet, the
NAACP also reports that five times as many
white Americans are using drugs as black
Americans, but blacks are sent to prison for
drug offenses at 10 times the rate of whites.
Economically, according to the U. S. Cen­
sus Bureau, approximately 30 percent of
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blacks are living in poverty. And the racial cence their deaths sent multiple messages.
breakdown of that statistic is riveting. The
Among those messages that they preached
National Urban League reports that the equal­ from the grave was the fact that they died
ity index o f black America stands at 71.7 nobly and they did not die in vain because
percent. This means that on average, Afri­ "unmerited suffering is redemptive." Yes,
can-Americans enjoy less than three-fourths the deaths of those children, and even too
of the benefits and privileges offered to white many of our children today who have died by
Americans.
senseless violence and even at the hands of
Educationally, the Urban League reports terrorists, have taught us that we must in­
that African-Americans have closed the col­ deed temper courage with caution.
lege enrollment gap at five times the rate of
But, in modem day America, we too often
closing the unemployment rate gap. Still the find ourselves - not cautious, but afraid.
racial disparities are deep. The National Cen­ Instead of challenging the systems that op­
ter for Education Statistics reports that press; instead of crying out in non-violent
though college attendance is steadily rising protest where it is warranted; instead of
for people of color, it is only around 14 acting upon the courage of our convictions,
percent for blacks, 13 percent for Latinos and we far too often live in fear of what we might
61 percent for whites.
lose or what we personally might not attain.
The state of equality and justice in America But, the drum major instinct is one that is
tells us that an astronomically higher level of impeded by fear because it requires both
service is needed, one that must replace any vision and mobility.
mindset of being recognized and awarded for
In order to attain an acceptable status of
every move.
equality and justice in America, the drum
People from the grassroots to Congress to majors of our communities must keep mov­
the White House; people from the churches ing. That means, those of us who have been
to the streets to the prisons; people from the given much are required to give much. We
educational institutions to the businesses to must mentor the young, we must teach truth,
the civil rights organizations; people in every we must take action where it is warranted, and
comer of our society must rise up and take by all means one of those actions must be to
leadership by placing their hands to the venture to the polls at every opportunity and
plows where they are. Without looking vote.
around to see who is looking, without seek­
As we move this great nation forward, let
ing name recognition and reward, at every us take a moment to recognize the drum major
age and in every season, we must not shrink instinct within each of us. Let us take per­
from the courage to say and to do that which sonal leadership of ourselves and yield to
is right.
our individual responsibilities to make a dif­
This year is not only the 50th anniversary ference. Then and only then, will we perfect
of the March on Washington for Jobs and the noble art of leadership. Only then will we
Freedom; but it is the 50th anniversary of - through our service - become "the chiefest
those four little girls killed on Sept. 15,1963 among us."
in the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist
The Rev. Joseph Lowery was a co­
Church in Birmingham, Ala. In Dr. King's fo u n d er o f the Southern Christian Lead­
sermon at their funeral, he spoke of how they ership Conference alongside Dr. M artin
had not died in vain for even in their inno­ Luther King Jr.